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BV  4932  .R6  1895 
Roberts,  William  Charles, 

1832-1903. 
New  Testament  conversions 


New  Testament  Conversions 


THEIR  MANIFOLDNESS 


BY 

THE  REV.  WILLIAM  CHARLES  ROBERTS,  D.D..  LL.D. 


PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION  AND 
SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK,   PHILADELPHIA,  1895 


Copyright,  1896,  bt 
THE  TRUSTEES   OF   THE   PRESBYIERIAN   BOARD 
OF   PUBLICATION  AND   SABBATH- 
SCHOOL  WORK. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Preface 5 

Chap.         I.  The  Conversion  of  the  Eeligiously-reared 

Andrew  and  John 9 

Chap,       II.  The  Conversion  of  a  Ricli  Tax  Gatherer — 

Zaccheus 24 

CiiAP.      III.  The  Conversion  of  an   Afflicted  Beggar — 

Bartimeus 40 

Chap.  IV.  The  Conversion  of  a  Timid  and  Lonely- 
Invalid — the  Woman  with  the  Issue  of 
Blood 56 

Chap.        V.  The  Conversion  of  a  Disreputable  Villager 

— the  Woman  of  Samaria 72 

Chap.      VI.  The  Conversion  of  One  Outside  the  Chosen 

People — the  Syro-Phcenician  Woman.  .  86 

Chap.  VII.  The  Conversion  of  a  Broken-Down  Mer- 
chant— the  Demoniac  of  Gadara 101 

Chap.  VIII.  The  Conversion  of  a  Man  at  the  Last  Hour 

— the  Malefactor  on  the  Cross    116 

Chap.      IX.  The  Conversion  of  a  Prime  Minister — the 

Ethiopian  Eunuch 131 

Chap.        X.  The  Conversion  of  a  Man  of  the  Highest 

Social  Standing — Cornelius 145 

Chap.      XI.  The  Conversion  of  a  Great  Genius — Saul  of 

Tarsus.! 161 


Preface. 


TEE  history  of  this  volume  of  sermons  is 
soon  told.  During  his  pastorates,  East  and 
West,  the  writer  was  frequently  consulted 
by  members  of  his  congregation  regarding  the 
validity  of  their  conversion.  After  witnessing  a 
revival  of  religion  or  listening  to  the  experience 
of  those  converted  at  such  a  season,  they  often 
entertained  doubts  as  to  the  genuineness  of 
their  own  conversion.  They  had  accepted  the 
general  impression  that  the  means  which  arrest 
the  sinner's  attention,  the  path  through  which 
he  is  led  to  the  Cross,  and  the  feelings  expe- 
rienced on  accepting  the  Saviour,  are  exactly 
the  same  in  all  cases.  The  writer  has  spent 
many  an  hour  in  prayer  and  in  efforts  to  con- 
vince such  that  men  are  not  all  converted  in 
the  same  way,  made  to  pass  through  the  same 
struggles,  or  to  experience  the  same  joys. 
This  has  seemed  to  many  like  a  new  revela- 
ton.  It  has  brought  them  from  painful  bond- 
age to  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 

This   pastoral    experience   suggested    the   pro- 
priety of  preparing    a    series    of  discourses   on 
5 


6  PREFACE. 

the  different  phases  of  conversion.  To  remove 
every  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  truths 
presented,  conversions  recorded  in  the  New 
Testament  alone  were  selected  as  the  themes. 
From  the  attendance  at  church  and  the  inter- 
est manifested  by  the  secular  press,  it  became 
evident  that  the  subject  was  one  of  more  than 
ordinary  interest.  The  discourses  were  reported 
almost  verbatim  and  published  in  one  of  the 
leading  journals  of  the  city.  Since  then  they 
have  been  rewritten  from  the  stenographic  re- 
ports and,  the  author  hopes,  materially  im- 
proved. Repeated  requests  have  been  received 
that  they  should  be  put  into  a  permanent  form 
for  the  benefit  of  the  many  who  feel  troubled 
about  the  genuineness  of  their  conversion. 
Compliance  with  this  request  has  led  me  to 
throw  this  new  volume  upon  the  public. 

The  conversions  considered  in  this  volume 
are  arranged  in  four  classes,  according  to  pecu- 
liarities common  to  the  members  of  each.  The 
first  class  comprises  men  who  had  been  religi- 
ously reared,  but  difi'erently  situated  in  after 
life.  The  first  sermon  is  on  the  conversion  of 
the  disciples  who  were  not  only  religiously 
reared,  but  who  also  enjoyed  the  pungent 
preaching  of  John  the  Baptist.  The  second  is 
on  the  conversion  of  a  son  of  Abraham  who 
had  gO'ue  far  astray  from  the  faith  of  his 
fathers;  and  the  third  is  on  the  conversion  of 
an  Israelite  religiously  reared,  but  who,  through 


PREFACE.  Y 

bodily  infirmities,  bad  been  deprived  of  many 
of  the  privileges  which  others  enjoyed.  The 
second  class  comprises  three  women,  one  of 
whom  was  an  afflicted  member  of  the  Jewish 
Church,  anotlier  belonged  to  a  heretical  sect, 
and  the  third  was  a  heathen,  conscious  of  not 
being  one  of  the  chosen  people.  The  third 
class  comprises  two  men,  one  wrecked  in  body 
and  in  mind  by  bis  dissipated  life,  and  the 
other  a  malefactor  drawing  his  last  breath  on 
the  cross.  The  fourth  class  comprises  three 
who  occupied  a  very  different  position  from  all 
the  otliers,  both  in  society  and  in  the  world. 
One  was  the  prime  minister  of  a  great  mon- 
arch ;  the  second  was  a  member  of  the  most 
illustrious  family  of  Rome;  and  the  third  was 
the  greatest  genius  of  his  age. 

As  these  discourses  have  been  largel}''  pre- 
pared for  the  press  from  stenographic  reports,  it 
has  been  impossible  to  give  credit  by  name  to  all 
those  from  whose  writings  extracts  have  been 
taken.  It  is  not  claimed  that  even  quotation 
marks  have  been  always  put  when  the  expres- 
sions of  others  have  been  incorporated.  The 
aim  of  the  author  has  not  been  to  be  original 
and  novel,  but  useful  to  every  one  who  asks, 
"  Am  I  his  or  am  I  not  ?" 


Chapter  i. 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    THE    RELIGIOUSLY- 
REARED    ANDREW    AND    JOHN. 


John  i.   37-50:    "And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak, 
and  they  followed  Jesus." 

THE  only  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  through  regeneration.  The 
announcement  of  this  fact  perplexes  and 
even  discourages  many  sincere  seekers  after  it. 
It  causes  them  to  ask  such  questions  as,  "  Is 
every  renewed  person  required  to  know  the 
time,  the  place  and  the  order  of  his  spiritual 
birth  ? "  "  Must  he  be  able  to  tell  the  arrest- 
ing means,  the  convicting  truth  and  the  hour  of 
deliverance  ?  " 

These  questions  arise  from  the  mistaken  idea 
that  all  men  are  converted  in  the  same  man- 
ner, pass  through  the  same  struggles  and  expe- 
rience the  same  joys.  Those  who  have  fallen 
into  this  mistake  conclude  that,  if  they  have 
not  taken  the  same  steps  and  felt  the  same 
agony  of  soul  as  those  whom  they  have  heard 
9 


10  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSION'S. 

tell  their  experience,  they  have  not  been 
born  again.  They  often  become  troubled  in 
mind  if  thej^  do  not  pronounce  themselves  self- 
deceived.  Thus  multitudes  of  God's  children 
deny  themselves  for  years  the  comforts  of  re- 
ligion and  deprive  the  Church  of  years  of  valu- 
able service. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  conversions  de- 
scribed in  the  New  Testament  will  show  that 
they  differed  from  each  other  both  in  the  means 
employed  and  in  the  feelings  experienced.  The 
conversion  of  the  disciples  who  had  been  John's 
followers  presents  nothing  startling  in  the  means 
emplo3^ed,  the  mental  process  through  which 
the3^  passed,  or  in  their  outward  conduct.  This 
is  not  strange  when  it  is  remembered  that 
they  had  been  reared  religiously,  made  to  obey 
the  commandments,  trained  to  live  moral  lives, 
led  to  pass  through  the  baptism  of  repentance 
and  taught  to  look  for  the  coming  of  the  Mes- 
siah. The  conversion  of  Zaccheus,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  very  different.  He  had  disregarded 
the  demands  of  the  law  and  abandoned  the 
religious  practices  of  the  true  Israel;  he  had 
become  thoroughly  identified  with  the  world 
and  lived  like  the  heathen  around  him.  He 
was  suddenly  arrested  in  a  life  of  extortion, 
and  brought  to  confess  his  sins  and  to  begin 
to  live  a  better  life.  The  conversion  of  the 
thief  on  the  cross  was  different  from  both. 
He  had  lived  the  desperate  life  of  a  thief  or  a 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  11 

murderer.  Spiritual  things  bad  found  no  place 
in  bis  life  or  tbougbts.  Tbe  words  of  Christ 
on  the  cross,  like  tbe  strains  of  celestial  music, 
were  probably  tbe  first  means  that  softened  bis 
heart.  The  band  nailed  to  tbe  cursed  tree 
snatched  him  as  a  brand  from  the  burning. 
Ilis  exclamation,  "  Lord,  remember  me,"  shows 
that  be  found  the  Saviour  at  the  last  moment. 
His  conviction,  conversion  and  sanctification 
were  almost  synchronous.  The  conversion  of 
Cornelius,  whilst  it  was  not  accompanied  by 
any  special  outward  demonstration,  was  a  great 
surprise.  Tbe  power  that  could  bring  a  proud 
Roman  to  the  feet  of  the  bumble  Nazarene  must 
have  been  above  anything  earthly.  Tbe  bring- 
ing of  a  member  of  the  haughty  Cornelian 
family  to  mingle  with  Jewish  peasants  and 
Galilean  fishermen  marked  a  change  of  views 
and  feelings  which  none  but  God  could  effect. 
The  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  in  most 
of  its  features  miraculous — the  very  kind  of 
conversion  looked  for,  unfortunatch',  b}^  tbe 
majority  of  unregenerate  men.  He  was  arrested 
in  bis  wild  career  of  persecution  and  smitten 
to  the  ground  by  light  from  heaven  ;  he  was 
struck  with  blindness  and  made  to  bear  tbe 
voice  of  Jesus  saying,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  perse- 
cutest  thou  me?"  He  listened  to  the  heavenly 
voice  which  changed  the  whole  current  of  his 
life.  After  experiencing  such  a  conversion  be 
found   no    ditllculty    in    remembering    tbe    day, 


12  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

the     means,    or     the     circumstances     connected 
with  it. 

Similar  varieties  of  conversion  are  witnessed 
in  our  own  day.  The  carefully  instructed  and 
religiously  reared  are  often  brought  to  Christ 
like  the  disciples,  without  anything  to  mark 
the  time  or  the  means.  President  Edwards 
states  that  he  could  not  remember  when  he  was 
brought  to  Christ.  Thousands  like  him  have 
no  more  knowledge  of  the  day  of  their  spiritual 
than  they  have  of  the  day  of  their  natural  birth. 
There  are  many,  on  the  other  hand,  who  can 
tell,  in  the  words  of  another,  the  exact  time  of 
it,  "  Giving  the  day  and  the  date,  the  hour,  the 
providence,  the  place,  the  text,  the  preacher,  and 
all  the  circumstances  connected  with  it.  They 
can  show  the  arrow  which,  shot  from  some  bow 
drawn  at  a  venture,  pierced  the  joints  of  their 
armor  and  quivered  in  their  heart.  They  can 
show  the  pebble  from  the  brook  that,  slung  it 
may  be  by  a  youthful  hand,  but  directed  by 
God,  was  buried  in  the  forehead  of  their  giant 
sin.  They  can  show  the  word  that  prostrated 
their  soul  and — some  truth  of  Scripture — the 
salve  that  healed  the  sore,  the  balm  that 
stanched  the  blood,  and  the  bandage  that 
Christ's  own  hands  wrapped  on  the  bleeding 
wounds.  Able  to  trace  the  steps  of  the  whole 
process  of  their  conversion,  its  most  minute 
details,  they  can  say  with  David ;  '  Come 
and   hear,   all    ye    that    fear  the    Lord,    and    I 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  13 

will  declare  what  he  liatli  done  for  my 
soul.' " 

Inability  to  recall  the  moment  when  our 
hearts  were  changed,  or  to  tell  the  circum- 
stances which  led  to  it,  or  to  describe  the  joy 
which  followed,  is  no  cause  of  discouragement, 
^one  of  us  can  tell  when  or  where  the  first 
faint  steel-gray  gleam  of  morn  appears,  though 
we  turn  our  faces  to  the  East  and  our  backs 
to  the  setting  sun  ;  we  know  it  only  after  the 
day  has  appeared.  In  like  manner  thousands 
of  Christians  can  only  say  with  the  man  in 
the  gospel,  ''Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see." 
They  are  conscious  of  the  presence  of  a  life 
that  they  did  not  once  possess  throbbing  with- 
in them  in  feelings  and  acts  of  godliness.  Con- 
sciousness of  their  spiritual  existence  is  all  the 
proof  men  need  of  their  birth  into  Christ's 
kingdom. 

In  this  series  of  discourses  it  will  be  shown 
that  every  conversion  is  a  new  conversion; 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  different  in  some  of  its 
aspects  from  every  one  that  has  gone  before 
or  that  will  follow.  The  structure  of  men's 
minds  is  different,  the  individual  bias  is  dif- 
ferent, the  training  is  different,  the  sur- 
rounding circumstances  are  different,  and  the 
effects  of  the  change  are  different,  though 
conversion  itself  is  in  every  case  genuine.  No 
one,  therefore,  should  feel  discouraged  when  he 
fails  to  find  much  in  common   between   his  own 


14  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

experience  and  that  of  his  pious  neighbors.  In 
our  treatment  of  New  Testament  conv^ersions 
we  shall  endeavor  to  correct  the  error  that  the 
circumstances,  the  means  used  and  the  outward 
effects  of  conA''ersion  are  in  all  cases  the  same. 

The  subject  of  this  discourse  is  "  The  Con- 
version of  the  Religiously-Reared  Andrew  and 
John." 

These  disciples  had  followed  the  Baptist  into 
the  wilderness,  where  they  heard  words  which 
proved  like  a  hammer,  breaking  in  pieces  their 
flinty  hearts  and  piercing  like  a  flame  of  fire 
their  hidden  thoughts.  Though  they  had  been 
brought  up  religiously,  j'et  not  until  John 
came  did  they  learn  the  awful  character  of  the 
law  of  Sinai  or  see  its  full  purity  or  grandeur. 
Under  the  Baptist's  preaching  they  realized 
their  guilt  and  felt  their  need  of  the  Lamb  of 
God  now  pointed  out  to  them. 

Notice,  first,  what  men  of  this  character  are 
required  to  do  in  order  to  enter  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Three  things  are  here  mentioned, 
namely,  coming  to  Christ,  trusting  his  saving 
power,  and  following  him  through  evil  and 
good  report.  Recognizing  the  valuable  prepa- 
ration which  they  had  received  under  the 
preaching  of  his  forerunner,  the  Saviour  in- 
vited Andrew  and  John  to  visit  his  abode. 
Mark  the  breadth  and  beauty  of  this  invita- 
tion, "Come  and  see";  not  to  one  brief  in- 
terview, not  to  a  desultory  conversation,  not  to 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  15 

one  passing  hour  of  fellowship  in  which  they 
might  listen  to  his  words,  but  to  see,  to 
know,  and  to  live  with  him.  The  same  invita- 
tion is  still  sent  to  all  who  have  not  found  him. 

What  encouragement  and  promise  are  con- 
tained in  the  word  "see."  It  implies  that  the 
deepest  longing  of  the  human  heart  is  to  see 
Jesus.  The  Greeks  who  had  heard  of  him 
cried,  "  We  would  see  Jesus."  To  see  him  is 
to  have  one's  inquiring  soul  satisfied.  There 
are,  however,  degrees  of  seeing  him.  Great  was 
the  glory  of  Him  which  was  seen  by  Moses  on 
the  Mount,  but  greater  was  that  beheld  by 
Andrew  and  John  as  they  accompanied  him  to 
the  place  of  his  abode.  The  entire  Christian  life 
may  be  included  in  the  act  of  seeing  Jesus — 
seeing  him  under  his  own  guidance;  seeing  his 
glory  day  by  day;  seeing  his  divine  kindness 
in  providing  for  their  wants  and  in  watching 
over  their  steps;  seeing  the  blessings  of  the 
covenant  sealed  by  his  blood  ;  seeing  here  the 
privileges  of  his  spiritual  kingdom,  and  seeing 
in  the  dim  distance  some  of  the  glory  still  to 
be  revealed. 

Those  who  are  religiously  reared  are  not 
only  to  come  to  where  Jesus  dwells,  but  to 
trust  him  for  their  salvation.  Finding  Simon, 
Andrew's  brother,  the  two  disciples  announced 
to  him  the  wonderful  discovery  they  had  made: 
"We  have  found  the  Messiah,"  and  have  com- 
mitted  to   him   our   keeping.     This    simple   dec- 


16  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVEESIONS. 

laration  must  have  brought  to  the  mind  of 
Simon  multitudes  of  facts  and  incidents  al- 
ready familiar  to  him.  It  may  have  suggested 
to  him  the  first  promise  ;  the  majesty  of  that 
wonderful  night  when  Jehovah  appeared  unto 
Abraham  on  the  open  plains  and  showed  him 
the  sky  with  its  myriad  stars,  and  gave  him 
the  promise  of  one  who  should  redeem  Israel  ; 
of  the  glorious  manifestation  of  God's  interest 
in  his  people  in  bringing  them  out  of  their 
Egyptian  bondage  by  the  hand  of  Moses,  and 
of  the  bright  star  which  cast  its  sweet  light 
on  the  plains  of  Moab.  Can  it  be  that  the 
glorious  One  whose  advent  is  repeatedly  fore- 
told has  at  last  come  to  earth  ?  Has  my  own 
brother  seen  him  and  committed  to  him  his 
keeping  ? 

The  revelation  of  Christ  to  those  who  have 
been  religiously  reared  in  our  day  brings  to 
mind  many  passages  of  Scripture  with  a  sig- 
nificance and  vividness  they  never  had  before. 
In  this  new  light  they  connect  Jesus  with  the 
salvation  of  their  own  souls  and  cast  on  him 
their  all  for  time  and  eternit3^  It  is  only 
when  they  find  themselves  safe  in  the  arms  of 
Jesus  that  their  hearts  are  melted,  and  the 
snows  of  the  long  winter  of  their  unbelief  are 
dissolved  into  sweet  waters,  which  now,  freed 
from  their  icy  chains,  flow  with  music  in  their 
ripples  and  fruitfulness  in  their  path  through 
their   lately    bare  and   barren   lives.     They   now 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  17 

SCO  that  there  is  no  spiritual  life  without  vital 
connection  with  the  Son  of  God. 

The  disciples  not  only  went  to  see  Jesus 
and  intrusted  to  him  their  all,  but  they  left 
the  world  to  follow  him.  "  Straightway  they 
forsook  their  nets  and  followed  hira."  No 
mention  is  here  made  of  a  remonstrance  or 
hesitation.  Not  one  of  them  asked  if  he  might 
once  more  cast  his  nets  into  the  sea,  or  have 
a  day  to  mend  them,  or  a  few  hours  to  dry 
those  which  had  just  been  pulled  out  of  the 
deep.  They  heard  the  call  and  instantly  obeyed 
it.  The  voice  of  Jesus  is  the  same  to  every 
one  of  us,  and  our  replj^  should  be  identical 
with  that  of  Andrew  and  John.  We  must  not 
ask  his  permission  to  weave  any  more  right- 
eousness of  our  own,  or  to  patch  our  character 
that  it  may  present  a  better  appearance  to  the 
world,  or  to  go  any  longer  through  the  dull 
round  of  religious  ceremonies  which  we  may 
have  mistaken  for  walking  with  God.  We 
must  straightway  follow    him. 

Secondly,  men  are  not  all  brought  to  do  this 
in  the  same  manner.  In  the  text  is  set  forth 
the  way  in  which  those  who  have  been  relig- 
iously reared  are  brought  to  Christ.  Andrew 
and  John  had  from  childhood  correct  theoreti- 
cal knowledge  of  God's  demands;  they  had 
lived,  to  all  human  appearance,  religious  lives, 
and  had  been  roused  l)y  the  preaching  of  John 
to   look   beyond   the   shadow   to    the    substance, 


18  KEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

bej'ond  the  form  to  the  realit}^,  be3-oncl  the 
abstract  doctrine  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  All  enjoyed 
those  privileges  and  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus 
inviting  them.  All  still,  no  matter  how  great 
their  privileges  or  correct  their  lives,  how  deep 
their  conviction  of  sin  or  vivid  their  sense  of 
guilt,  must  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  and  obey. 
!N'one  will  take  a  single  step  towards  Christ 
until  they  hear  his  voice.  The  fiiintest  long- 
ing after  him,  the  first  tear  of  penitence 
that  trickles  down  the  cheek,  the  first  cry  of 
the  soul  for  rest  and  the  first  motion  towards 
Christ  result  from  hearing  his  voice.  Have 
j'ou,  dear  reader,  experienced  tender  feelings 
towards  him  ;  felt  the  tear  of  penitence  mois- 
tening the  eye,  or  a  secret  prompting  of  the 
soul  to  follow  him  ?  That  is  the  echo  of  his 
A'oice  speaking  in  the  depth  of  your  heart. 
It  is  an  emotion  born  of  God.  It  is  the  first 
breath  from  the  four  winds  passing  over  the 
valley  of  dry  bones  in  your  soul.  It  may  be 
the  first  pulsation  of  the  new  life  within.  It 
may  be  feeble  ;  it  may  be  only  a  whisper 
darting  through  the  soul  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning, a  faint  longing  after  God — it  is  neverthe- 
less born  from  above.  Stop  not  there,  but  ask 
the  Saviour  to  quicken  this  spark  into  a  flame. 
Seek  the  godly  sorrow  w^hich  "worketh  repent- 
ance not  to  be  repented  of.  Let  nothing  make 
you    linger;    cast    aside    every    hindrance    and 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  19 

break  through  all  the  barriers  in  your  way  to 
Jesus'  arms.  The  heavenly  messenger  who  is 
now  calling  may  never  issue  another   invitation. 

Simon  was  brought  to  Christ  by  his  own 
brother,  Andrew.  This  presents  to  us  a  very 
suggestive  thought.  Instead  of  going  first  to 
tell  the  story  of  his  discovery  to  the  multi- 
tudes without,  who  are  perishing  for  the  lack 
of  knowledge,  he  went  first  to  his  own  house- 
hold. In  this  he  followed  the  order  of  nature 
as  well  as  of  grace.  The  conversion  oi  the 
man  who  overlooks  the  perishing  among  his 
own  relatives  and  friends,  and  goes  inimedi- 
atcl3^  after  the  distant  ones,  is  not  Scriptural 
in  his  conduct.  It  is  not  natural  to  feel  anx- 
ious for  the  souls  of  those  whom  we  have  never 
seen  and  be  indifferent  towards  those  among 
whom  we  live.  If  you,  reader,  have  found 
Jesus,  go  at  once  to  those  who  are  near  and 
dear  to  3  on  and  tell  them  that  you  have  found 
the  Messiah.  Bid  them  "  Come  and  see."  Then 
go    after  the   outside   world   with  the  same  zeal. 

"The  day  following,  Jesus  would  go  forth 
into  Galilee,  and  findeth  Philip,  and  saith  unto 
him,  Follow  me."  There  is  apparent  imperious- 
ness  in  this  command,  but  no  a^jology  is  of- 
fered. Jesus  does  not  give  Philip  time  to  de- 
liberate or  hours  for  decision.  He  listens  to 
no  plea  for  delay  nor  entertains  an  excuse. 
The  command  is,  "  Follow  me."  It  is  thus  that 
Christ   speaks   to   every  one.     He   may  find   ug, 


20  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

as  he  found  Philip,  busily  engaged  in  worldly 
pursuits  and  fully  occupied  with  family  affairs 
or  household  duties,  and  says,  "  Follow  me." 
He  tells  us  that  his  claim  is  paramount  to  that 
of  all  others,  admitting  of  no  dela}^  "  Follow 
me  "  is  heard  above  the  voice  of  pleasure  and 
the  clatter  of  worldlj^  cares.  When  the  request, 
"  Let  me  first  bury  m}^  father,"  is  made,  Christ's 
reply  is,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  the  dead."  "  Fol- 
low thou  me." 

The  feeling  which  prompted  Andrew  to  go 
after  Simon  now  prompted  Philip  to  go  after 
Nathanael.  But  he  found  his  mind  full  of 
questionings  and  misgivings.  He  did  not,  how- 
ever, stop  to  reason  with  him  regarding  the 
causes  of  his  perplexities.  He  entered  into 
no  controversy  about  the  probability  or  the 
improbability  of  an^^  good  coming  out  of  Naza- 
reth. He  met  his  doubts  and  fears  with  the 
kindly  invitation,  "Come  and  see."  Nathanael 
followed  Jesus  and,  in  following  him,  his  doubts 
disappeared,  his  difficulties  passed  away,  and 
the  light  of  assurance  concerning  the  identity 
of  the  Messias  dawned  upon  his  soul. 

Are  yon,  dear  reader,  troubled  with  doubts 
and  fears  ?  Has  the  poisonous  arrow  of  unbe- 
lief penetrated  your  soul  ?  Has  the  cloud  of 
disappointment  eclipsed  3'our  faith  or  intervened 
between  you  and  the  light  of  your  Father's 
countenance  ?  Waste  no  time  in  surveying 
the  intricate  fields  of  apologetics.    Do  not  weary 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  21 

your  soul  with  efforts  to  solve  the  dark  prob- 
lems of  providence.  Follow  Jesus  and  all  will 
be  well.  Are  you,  like  Martha,  troubled  about 
many  things?  Do  crosses  multipl}^?  Has  God's 
providence  hedged  your  way  so  that  you  know 
not  how  to  proceed  ?  Follow  Jesus,  and  the 
path  of  duty  will  be  made  plain,  roys  of  heav- 
enly love  v.'ill  dart  through  the  clouds  which 
now  obstruct  your  vision. 

Tbe  call  of  Jesus  to  Andrew  and  John,  Simon, 
Philip  and  Natbanael  was  to  thcra  the  dawn 
of  a  new  and  better  da}^  It  broke  upon  their 
view  whilst  the  rest  of  the  world  was  as  yet 
sleeping  the  sleep  of  death.  But  by  degrees 
the  true  Israel,  who  had  heard  the  voice  of 
the  harbinger  and  had  long  waited  for  the 
promised  redemption,  saw  the  rising  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  and  rejoiced.  At  last  the 
bridegroom  for  w^hom  they  had  been  looking 
came.  He  met  and  recognized  the  bride.  The 
bride  finally  met  and  recognized  the  bridegroom. 
She  listened  to  his  voice  and  obeyed  his  call. 
He  appeared  to  them  meek  and  lowl}'.  His 
royalty  was  as  3'et  concealed.  The  glory  which 
he  had  had  with  the  Father  was  veiled  in 
human  flesh;  nevertheless,  he  attracted  to  him- 
self all  whom  the  Father  had  given  him.  All 
who  had  been  prepared  by  God  through  the 
prophecies,  the  types  and  the  shadows  ;  by  the 
preaching  of  the  law  and  the  baptism  of  John, 
followed    him.     They    found    in   him   the  fulfill- 


22  NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

meiit  of  the  prophecies,  the  substance  of  the 
shadows,  and  the  realization  of  the  hopes  and 
lono:ings  of  God's  people  in  all  ages. 

Are  you,  impenitent  reader,  satisfied  with 
3'our  bare  morality  and  the  performance  of  a 
meaningless  round  of  religious  duties?  Are 
you  still  unable  to  see  the  need  of  anything 
more  than  an  upright  conduct?  Has  not  God 
spoken  to  j^ou  through  his  providence,  his 
Word  and  Spirit  ?  Has  he  not  awakened 
doubts  in  regard  to  the  safety  of  your  pres- 
ent attitude  of  mind  and  heart?  Has  he  not, 
through  the  preaching  of  the  word,  the  faith  of 
a  friend,  a  wife  or  a  mother,  shown  you  that 
something  more  is  needed?  Has  he  not  stirred 
up  some  longings  after  like  faith  and  commu- 
nion with  God  with  that  of  loved  ones  gone  to 
glory?  Hear,  this  moment,  the  voice  of  the 
Baptist,  saying,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
w^hich  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  That 
Lamb  is  the  Christ.  It  is  the  long-looked-for 
Messias.  It  is  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the 
beginning  and  the  ending.  He  says  to  you, 
*'  Follow  me,"  ''  Come  and  see."  Remain  no 
longer  under  the  teachings  of  the  law  or  in 
the  school  of  morality.  Having  worshiped  long 
enough  in  the  outer  court,  accept  at  once  the 
invitation  to  '^  Come  and  see."  Believe  Christ's 
word,  seek  his  fellowship,  and  see  that  your 
name  is  enrolled  among  his  followers. 
'   As   soon   as   Andrew   comprehended    the    full 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  23 

meaning  of  the  invitation,  "  Come  and  see,"  he 
uttered  the  jubilant  cry,  ''  We  have  found  the 
Christ."  This  stirred  the  heart  of  Philip  to  re- 
echo the  same.  Nathanael  took  up  the  strain 
which  was  passing  from  lip  to  lip,  and  added, 
''  We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  and  the 
prophets  did  write."  This  set  the  hearts  of  all 
who  believed  on  fire  and  filled  their  lips  with 
praise.  So  let  it  be  with  you,  dear  reader. 
Let  your  cry  be,  "  Jesus,  Jesus  only ; "  Jesus 
in  my  heart  as  the  hope  of  glory  ;  Jesus  in 
my  affections  as  the  one  altogether  lovely  ; 
Jesus  on  my  tongue  as  the  only  subject  of 
praise  .  Jesus  in  my  life  as  my  present  and 
eternal  righteousness  ;  Jesus  in  my  death  as 
the  Friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother, 
and  Jesus  in  my  heavenly  joys  as  my  all  and 
in  ail. 


Chapter  ii. 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    A    RICH    TAX 
GATHERER-ZACCHEUS. 


Luke  xix.  5,  6  :  "  Zacclieus.  make  haste,  and  come  down  ; 
for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house.  And  he  made  haste, 
and  came  down,  and  received  him  joyfully." 

THE  disciples  whose  conversion  was  con- 
sidered in  our  last,  lived  in  the  quiet 
hamlets  that  dotted  the  shores  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  Their  calling  was  that  of  fish- 
ermen, which  was  held  in  high  repute  among 
the  Jews.  They  had  not  been  contaminated  by 
the  dissipation  of  society  or  by  the  corruption 
of  wealth  in  large  and  royal  cities  like  Jericho. 
Zaccheus,  on  the  other  hand,  was  born  and 
reared  amid  the  pomp  and  splendor,  the  vice 
and  temptations  of  the  Herodian  capital  which 
was  called  "  the  city  of  fragrance,"  because  the 
whole  plain  was  covered  with  aromatic  shrubs; 
"  the  city  of  roses,"  because  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan  looked  in  the  spring  like  a  sea  whipped 
into  foam,  and  "  the  city  of  palm  trees,"  because 
24 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  25 

the  whole  region  abounded  in  richer  vegeta- 
tion than  that  found  in  any  other  part  of  Pales- 
tine. At  this  time,  Jericho  was  able  to  boast 
of  the  royal  palace  of  Herod  Antipas  and  of 
the  gorgeous  abodes  of  his  courtiers.  It  formed 
the  golden  key  which  unlocked  Palestine  and 
the  Mediterranean  to  the  nations  of  the  East. 
Its  population  was  about  one  hundred  thousand 
souls,  exclusive  of  the  pilgrims  who  stopped  there 
for  a  season  on  their  way  home  from  observing 
the   Jewish   passover. 

Zaccheus  not  only  lived  in  a  place  full  of 
temptations,  but  he  occupied  a  position  pecu- 
liarly trying  to  his  religious  principles,  so  far 
as  he  had  any.  He  was  the  chief  of  the  publi- 
cans— an  office  of  considerable  importance  under 
the  Roman  government.  A  publican  was  the 
collector  of  the  imperial  taxes.  The  methods 
used  by  the  Romans  of  collecting  them,  in  a 
city  like  Jericho,  was  to  farm  them  out ;  that 
is,  to  bind  the  officer  to  pay  a  certain  sum  to 
the  government,  with  the  understanding  that  he 
was  entitled  to  all  he  could  exact  from  the  people. 
Under  such  circumstances  a  most  favorable  op- 
portunity was  afforded  him  for  extortion,  fraud 
and  violence.  The  strongest  temptation  was  thus 
laid  in  the  publican's  way  to  become  rich  by 
w^hat  the  sacred  penman  calls  "  false  accusation." 

Zaccheus  was  not  only  a  native  of  Jericho, 
and  the  chief  of  the  tax  gatherers,  but  he  was 
rich.     It  is  not  stated  whether  his   wealth  was 


26  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

accumulated  b}^  his  own  efforts  or  fell  to  him 
by  inheritance.  The  inference  from  the  record 
is  that  he  made  most  of  it  himself,  and  a  large 
portion  perhaps  by  extortion. 

The  subject  to  which  3'our  attention  is  invited 
is  "  The  Conversion  of  a  Rich  Tax  Gatherer — 
Zaccheus." 

Notice  first,  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  his 
conversion.  These  were  mainly  three  ;  viz.,  local, 
circumstantial  and  associational ;  m  other  words, 
they  sprang  from  the  three  sources  referred  to 
in  the  text,  namely,  the  place  where  he  lived, 
the  office  which  he  held,  and  the  social  [)Osition 
lie  occupied  in  the  communit3^ 

The  place  in  which  he  lived  exposed  him  to 
three  temptations.  First,  to  a  low  estimate  of 
the  religion  of  his  fathers.  Jericho  was  a  city 
of  priests,  who  were  at  this  time  exceedingly 
corrupt.  Consequentl}^,  the  publicans  concluded 
that  a  religion  which  had  such  men  to  minis- 
ter at  her  altars  was  not  of  much  value,  if  it 
was  from  God.  On  the  same  principle  the  peo- 
ple of  Rome  judge  in  our  day  of  the  Christian 
religion  from  the  priests  whose  lives  are  known 
to  all  who  observe  them. 

Zaccheus  was  exposed  also  to  the  paralysis 
arising  from  breathing  the  foulest  atmosphere 
of  home  and  foreign  corruption.  Jericho  was 
not  onl}^  a  city  of  priests,  but  of  all  sorts  of 
people,  many  of  whom  were  among  the  most  de- 
graded of  the  nations.     On  account  of  its  loca- 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  27 

tion,  wealth  and  royal  splendor,  Jericho  became 
the  home  of  tlie  Roman  tax  gatherers  and  extor- 
tioners generally.  Through  their  wealth  and 
numbers  they  commanded  a  larger  amount  of 
respect  than  they  were  really  entitled  to.  For 
their  low  morality  did  not  appear  in  as  glaring 
a  light  there  as  it  would  have  done  in  Jerusa- 
lem   or   Capernaum. 

Zaccheus  was  further  exposed  to  the  temp- 
tations of  g^yety  and  licentiousness.  In  Jericho, 
Herod  the  Great  lived  and  displa3'ed  his  wealth 
and  extravao^ance.  The  conduct  of  the  kingr 
and  his  courtiers  was  naturally  imitated  by  all 
who  could  afford  it,  and  even  by  man}^,  as  in 
our  own  day,  who  could  not  afford  it.  This 
led  the  ambitious  and  unscrupulous  to  all  kinds 
of  expedients  to  amass  riches  in  order  to  make 
a   display. 

Not  only  the  place  in  which  Zaccheus  lived, 
but  also  the  ofllce  he  held,  exposed  him  to 
temptations.  First,  to  extortion — a  practice  which 
degraded  him  even  in  his  own  eyes.  He  knew 
that  the  only  redress  open  to  an  overtaxed 
people  was  an  appeal  to  law,  in  which  their 
chance  of  redress  was  slender  before  a  tribunal 
of  which  the  judge  was  a  heathen  and  the 
gatherer  an  unscrupulous  oflicial  of  the  Roman 
government.  This  comparative  freedom  from  de- 
tection was  a  temptation  to  indulge  in  dishonesty 
and   fraud. 

It    exposed    him    also    to    hardness   of    heart 


28  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

and  harshness  of  manner,  destructive  of  kindly 
feelings.  He  came  in  contact  with  human  na- 
ture in  the  line  of  the  most  degraded  busi- 
ness. He  had  to  contend  with  men's  ignorance, 
stupidit}'',  and  plans  to  deceive ;  consequentl}'', 
if  he  was  ever  tender  hearted,  he  would  become, 
in  time,  impatient,  if  not  feelingless. 

Zaccheus's  ofRce  exposed  him,  once  more,  to 
indifference  to  moral  and  religious  restraints. 
He  was  despised  and  looked  upon  by  the  peo- 
ple as  one  totally  devoid  of  character.  They 
regarded  the  publicans  as  excluded  from  the 
religious  life  and  communion  of  the  true  Israel, 
as  devoid  of  conscience  and  without  the  fear 
of  God  before  their  eyes.  Zaccheus  accepted 
as  true  this  sentiment  regarding  the  class  to 
which  he  belonged,  and  followed  his  calling 
without  expectation  of  anything  better.  The 
same  thing  is  largely  true  of  certain  classes  of 
men  in  our  own  day.  They  conclude  that  it 
is  useless  to  try  to  do  anything  toward  becom- 
ing religious,  because  they  cannot  rise  in  the 
estimation  of  their  fellow-men  or  convince  even 
their   friends   that   they  are    sincere. 

Zaccheus's  wealth,  as  wxll  as  his  office  and 
dwelling  place,  exposed  him  to  temptation.  It 
cannot  be  denied  that  riches  everywhere  tend  to 
drive  men  from  God  and  to  plunge  them  into 
the  corruption  and  fashions  of  the  world.  With 
what  emphasis  does  the  Saviour  sa}^,  "  How 
hardly   shall   they    that   have    riches   enter  into 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  29 

the  kingdom  of  God!"  The  publican  was 
rich.  As  a  consequence  he  was  thrown  into 
the  compan\^  of  those  who  coukl  not  abide  the 
self-denial  of  religion,  loved  all  sorts  of  indul- 
gences, and  were  heathen  in  their  principles 
and  conduct. 

Zaccheus's  case  seemed  at  this  time  hopeless. 
The  obstacles  in  the  way  of  his  conversion 
were  most  formidable.  All  connected  with  his 
home,  calling  and  condition  looked  like  insur- 
mountable barriers  to  the  entrance  of  saving 
truth  into  his  heart.  But  God's  grace  triumphed 
over  them  all.  Grace  never  shines  in  all  its 
loveliness  until  it  comes  in  contact  with  great 
obstacles.  Then  only  does  it  shine  in  its  full 
glor3^  It  is  in  pardoning  a  dying  thief,  in  wel- 
coming a  forlorn  prodigal,  in  acquitting  a  noted 
adulteress,  or  in  seeking  and  saving  a  public  ex- 
tortioner, that  its  truest  and  brightest  colors  are 
reflected.  These  are  some  of  its  richest  tro- 
phies. They  are  the  gems  w^hich  sparkle  in  the 
crown  of  infinite  love.  They  arc  the  jewels 
which  are  destined  to  shine  forever  in  the  dia- 
dem of  the  King  of  kings. 

Notice,  next,  the  successive  steps  that  led  to 
his  conversion.  And,  first,  those  taken  by  the 
publican  himself.  They  are  striking,  and  fitted 
to  reflect  credit  on  his  manliness  and  courage. 
The  first  is  to  resolve  to  see  Jesus.  This  was 
the  grandest  resolution  of  his  life,  though  it 
did   not   perhaps   seem   so   to    him    at   the   time. 


30  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSION'S. 

We  read  that  "  he  sought  to  see  Jesus  who 
he  was."  He  had  heard  of  him,  and  the  tidings 
may  have  revived  in  his  soul  the  earl}^  truths  he 
had  learned  at  his  mother's  knee  in  regard  to 
the  promised  Messiah.  He  had  long  heard  of 
him.  He  had  been  for  3'ears  dissatisfied  with  his 
own  life.  In  his  sober  moments  he  had  looked 
for  some  means  that  would  bring  him  to  believe 
the  religion  of  his  fathers.  At  last  lie  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  Jesus  might  do  this.  But 
he  could  not  see  him,  and  felt  that  the  fault 
was  not  his  but  God's.  He  was  small  of 
stature. 

Besides,  Christ  was  surrounded  by  a  multi- 
tude who  rendered  it  difficult,  if  not  impossi- 
ble, for  him  to  see  him.  Nevertheless,  Zac- 
cheus  furnishes  us  with  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  proverb,  "  Where  there  is  a  will  there 
is  a  way."  He  had  resolved  to  see  the  dis- 
tinguished stranger  as  he  was  passing  b3\  For 
that  purpose  "he  ran  before"  the  multitude.  He 
not  only  desired  to  see  him,  but  he  put  forth 
eveiy  effort  in  order  to  do  it.  He  ran — not  a 
dignified  attitude  by  any  means  for  the  chief  of 
the  publicans — but  he  was  in  earnest,  he  was 
bent  on  accomplishing  his  object,  and  hence  he 
laid  aside  minor  considerations.  He  resolved  to 
overcome,  if  possible,  all  the  obstacles  l3dng  in 
his  path.  In  his  desire  to  see,  and  efforts  to 
meet  Jesus,  we  find  an  illustration  of  what  men 
can  do  in  our  day  to  find  the  Saviour. 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  31 

Znccheiis  not  only  desired  to  see  Jesus,  and 
ran  before  the  multitude  for  that  .purpose,  but 
he  put  himself  in  a  position  in  which  he  would 
be  able  to  catch  a  view  of  his  face  and  form 
if  he  could  not  hear  his  voice.  "  He  climbed 
np  into  a  sycomore  tree  to  see  him.''  This 
tree  has  large,  long  limbs  running  out  almost  at 
right  angles  with  the  trunk,  and,  in  many  cases, 
near  the  ground.  Hence  it  was  well  adapted  to 
the  purpose  for  which  Zaccheus  selected  it.  He 
had,  however,  but  little  hope  that  the  Saviour 
would  notice  him.  He  hid  himself  among  the 
branches.  Nevertheless,  every  step  he  took, 
however  trivial  and  accidental  it  may  have 
seemed  at  the  time,  brought  him  nearer  and 
nearer  to  seeing  the  Saviour  face  to  face. 

Not  a  few  of  us  can  look  back  and  see  how 
strangely  we  were  led  to  Christ's  feet.  Provi- 
dence often  hedged  up  the  particular  path  we 
had  selected,  and  opened  another  we  never 
thought  of;  it  thwarted  some  favorite  plan  we 
had  formed,  and  presented  another  which  a 
combination  of  events  led  us  to  adopt.  How 
often  has  some  apparently  accidental  step,  or 
a  trifling  incident,  led  to  a  train  of  associations 
and  occurrences  which  changed  the  whole  course 
of  our  lives.  A  moment  too  late  for  the  train; 
the  falling  of  a  shower  driving  us  to  seek 
shelter  in  the  house  of  a  neighbor  ;  a  hint  let 
fall  in  general  conversation,  or  the  climbing  to 
some   high   place   to   gratify  curiosity — on  these 


32  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

and  circumstances  more  trifling  still  bang  often 
the  most  momentous  issues  of  our  life.  How- 
blessed  to  think  that  in  this  tangled  web  of  cir- 
cumstances, in  the  labyrinth  which  momentarily 
entwines  itself  round  our  feet,  we  are  not  left 
to  walk  alone !  How  blessed  the  thought  that  a 
wise,  loving  and  an  unseen  hand  is  directing 
our  steps ! 

In  connection  with  this  course  of  the  pub- 
lican, let  us  trace  that  of  the  Saviour.  First, 
be  went  in  the  direction  in  which  he  was  ex- 
pected to  go.  IJe  knew  that  Zaccbeus  bad 
climbed  up  into  a  sycomore  tree  to  see  him. 
He  was  more  anxious  to  see  the  publican  than 
the  publican  was  to  see  him.  The  seeker  was 
sought  and  found.  Blessed  fact  I  If  we  put 
ourselves  like  Zaccbeus  in  Christ's  way,  we 
are  sure  to  be  found  of  him.  For  no  cares 
or  business  will  draw  him  aside.  He  always 
goes  in  the  direction  of  the  waiting  sinner. 
He  marks  every  beat  of  bis  heart,  traces  his 
steps  to  the  place  in  which  be  expects  to  see 
bim,  and  finds  him  even  when  be  has  fled  into 
the  most  secret  concealment. 

Christ  not  only  went  in  the  way  leading  to 
the  sycomore  tree,  but  he  looked  up.  Who  can 
describe  or  even  imagine  the  way  Zaccbeus 
must  have  felt  when  be  saw  the  multitude, 
beaded  by  the  Master,  moving  toward  bim  ? 
Vaguely  and  perhaps  confusedly  bis  past  life, 
with  its  sins  and  sorrows,  misgivings  and  doubts, 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  33 

passed  before  his  e3^e ;  longing  and  hope,  fear 
and  trembling  expectation  filled  bis  sonl.  Yet 
he  would  see  Jesus,  for  he  was  to  pass  that 
wa}^,  and  then  all  would  be  over,  and  he  would 
go  home  perhaps  to  quiet  conscience  and  hope 
for  something  better.  But  would  seeing  Jesus 
meet  his  expectation?  Would  that  end  his  cap- 
tivity? Would  it  solve  the  problem  of  his  life? 
Would  it  remove  the  manacles  from  his  hands 
and  feet?  Would  it  take  away  the  burden  he 
had  borne  for  years?  At  this  juncture  the 
Saviour  made  his  appearance  He  halted,  looked 
up,  and  the  people  paused  and  held  their  breath  I 
Christ  not  only  moved  in  the  right  direction, 
but  he  looked  up,  not  simply  at  the  tree,  not 
with  an  indifferent  glance,  nor  merely  to  see 
what  kind  of  man  the  hiding  publican  was,  but 
he  cast  on  his  hard  foce  a  loving,  melting  look ! 
There  went  out  in  that  glance  the  declarations, 
"  Thou  art  the  man  1  I  am  in  search  of  thee ! 
Thou  art  an  heir  of  glory !  "  For  a  moment 
the  publican  was  embarrassed,  perplexed,  and 
no  doubt  troubled.     But, 

"A  second  look  he  gave,  which  said, 
I  freely  all  forgive  ; 
My  blood  is  for  thy  ransom  paid  ; 
I  die  that  thou  mayst  live." 

The  third  step  was  to  call  Zaccheus  by  name. 
He  singled  him  out  from  among  the  rest.  He 
let  him  know  that  his  name  and  character  were 


34  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

perfectly  familiar  to  him.  He  convinced  him 
that,  though  a  publican,  lost  in  his  own  estima- 
tion, he  was  of  some  importance  in  the  sight  of 
the  world's  Saviour.  Though  shunned  by  his 
countrymen,  he  thought  of  him  I  This  is  in 
keeping  with  the  rule  Christ  uniformly  observes 
in  dealing  with  sinners.  We  read  of  a  thief 
saved,  of  a  lost  sheep  sought  and  found,  of  a 
leper  returning  to  give  thanks  to  God,  of  a 
prodigal  welcomed  by  his  father,  of  an  extor- 
tioner sought  and  brought  within  the  Saviour's 
fold. 

How  tellingly  does  all  this  teach  our  individ- 
ual importance  in  the  sight  of  God,  however 
worthless  we  may  be  in  the  estimation  of  our 
fellovvmeni  How  often  is  it  said,  "I  am  of  no 
importance  in  the  world.  Can  God  care  for 
such  a  poor,  frail,  insignificant  creature  as  I  ? 
Can  he  think  of  one  so  guilty  as  I,  one  whom 
the  world  despises,  one  forgotten  by  friends  and 
left  alone?"  Such  examples  as  I  have  given 
should  rebuke  our  unbelieving  thoughts. 

The  other  step  in  the  conversion  of  Zaccheus 
was  the  command  to  obedience — "  Make  haste, 
and  come  down."  The  publican  might  have  said, 
"  The  multitude  will  laugh  at  my  coming  down 
from  this  tree;  those  who  believe  that  I  have 
defrauded  them  will  sneer  at  the  thought  of 
ray  becoming  Christ's  follower;  my  old  friends 
and  companions  will  ridicule  such  a  step  when 
they  hear  of  it ; "   or   he  might   have  exclaimed, 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  oO 

"  I  have  been  a  great  sinner  and  am  not  worthy 
to  have  the  Son  of  God  come  under  my  roof.  I 
will  mend  my  ways, 'in  the  hope  of  being  worthy 
to  have  him  come  into  my  house  the  next  time 
he  passes  by.  Ere  long  I  will  abandon  my  oflice 
and  arrange  to  become  one  of  his  discii)les." 
Christ  made  no  reply  to  all  this,  neither  rebuked 
bim  for  his  sins  or  for  following  a  wicked  call- 
ing. He  met  him  as  he  was  and  said  to  him, 
without  conditions  or  prerequisites,  "  To-day  I 
must  abide  in  th}^  house."  He  met  him  in  tones 
of  welcome  which  melted  his  hard  heart.  His 
love  penetrated  its  depth  and  constrained  obe- 
dience. His  assurance  brought  him  from  the 
tree  and  quickened  his  footsteps.  He  in  return 
welcomed  the  Saviour.  Here  is  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration of  the  way  men  are  still  made  to  come 
down  from  their  lofty  heights  of  pride  and  self- 
righteousness  to  meet  and  entertain  the  lowly 
Saviour. 

The  last  point  to  which  your  attention  is  in- 
vited is  the  outward  proof  of  Zaccheus's  con- 
version. What  was  there  in  his  subsequent  life 
to  show  that  he  was  made  a  child  of  God 
durinor  this  meetinsr  with  Jesus?  What  was 
there  in  his  own  personal  experience  to  con- 
vince himself  of  it?  It  is  not  told  us  what 
happened  during  the  Saviour's  stay  at  his 
house.  We  do  not  know  what  was  said  to  him. 
Nothing  is  mentioned  in  regard  to  his  confes- 
sion,  the   outpouring    of    his    heart,   or   his   ex- 


36  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

pressions  of  gratitude  and  love.  No  record  has 
been  left  of  the  word  of  counsel,  instruction, 
guidance  and  consolation  which  Jesus  may  have 
given  him.  All  these  were  private.  But  we 
are  told    that   he   experienced — 

First,  feelings  of  joy.  "  He  made  haste,  and 
came  down,  and  received  him  joyfully.''''  A  new 
feeling  welled  up  within  his  soul.  He  had  often 
felt  something  like  real  joy  in  the  midst  of  his 
worldly  companions,  and  in  the  contemplation 
of  the  accumulation  of  his  riches.  But,  to  all 
that,  there  was  a  serious  drawback.  It  was  not 
unmixed  with  sorrow.  But  who  can  describe 
his  joy  now?  Who  can  fathom  its  depths,  meas- 
ure its  heights  or  tell  its  breadth?  Its  source 
was  heaven  and  its  flow  promised  to  ba  peren- 
nial. 

The  converted  man  in  the  present  day  knows 
something  of  the  same  experience.  His  heart 
is  filled  with  joy  which  the  world  cannot  give 
and  which  it  cannot  take  away.  It  is  unal- 
loyed. . 

The  second  effect  of  the  publican's  conver- 
sion was  to  lead  him  to  make  an  open  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  sin.  "  If  I  have  taken 
anything  by  false  accusation."  His  past  life 
comes  up  at  length  in  its  true  light.  Sin  ap- 
pears exceeding  sinful.  Instead  of  realizing  his 
guilt  before  he  came  to  the  Saviour,  he  felt 
it  in  its  crushing  weight  only  after  he  came. 
Not   until   he    heard   the   melody   of   heaven   in 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  37 

the  voice  -which  cried,  "  Zaccheus,  come  down," 
did  he  realize  fully  the  jarring  of  sin.  Not 
until  the  sunshine  of  love  filled  his  soul  did 
he  see  the  threatening  clouds  of  a  life  of  extor- 
tion; not  until  the  Son  of  God  entered  his 
dwelling  did  he  become  full}^  conscious  of  the 
evils  he  had  committed  as  a  minion  of  the 
Koman  government. 

Something  of  the  same  nature  must  be  ex- 
perienced b}'^  every  one  who  comes  to  Christ. 
"When  the  light  of  the  divine  Spirit  shines  upon 
the  soul,  it  is  sure  to  produce  a  deep  sense  of 
sin  against  God  and  man.  Thus  it  has  been  in 
every  age;  when  that  light  fell  upon  Job  he 
exclaimed,  "I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the  hear- 
ing of  the  ear:  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee. 
Wherefore  I  abhor  myself."  When  it  fell  upon 
Isaiah,  he  cried,  "Woe  is  me!  for  I  am  a  man  of 
unclean  lips."  When  it  fell  upon  Paul,  he  ex- 
claimed, "Ijord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to 
do?"  When  it  fell  upon  the  poor  publican, 
he  cried,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  !  " 

Still  another  effect  of  Christ's  entrance  into 
Zaccheus's  house  was  a  sense  of  justice  toward 
men.  This  manifested  itself  in  willingness  to 
restore  what  he  had  taken  by  fraud.  "  I  restore 
him  fourfold."  He  does  not  offer  simply  the 
value  of  what  he  had  taken,  with  the  addition 
of  one-fifth,  which  was  the  utmost  the  law  im- 
posed if  the  property  was  voluntarily  restored  ; 
nor  the   double,   the   penalty  attached   to   stolen 


88  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

goods.  But,  acting  under  the  law  of  Calvary 
and  not  under  that  of  Sinai — the  law  of  love 
and  not  that  of  justice — he  offered  to  restore  it 
on  a  munificent  scale.  This  is  the  true  prompt- 
ing of  a  new  heart.  And  something  analogous 
to  it  must  be  seen  in  the  life  of  every  converted 
man.  He  must  desire  to  repair  the  wrong- 
doings of  his  life  as  far  as  practicable.  He  must 
restore  the  reputation  he  may  have  ruined  by 
his  slander,  he  must  counteract  the  baleful  in- 
fluence of  his  bad  example,  and  make  up  for  the 
extortion  which  he  perpetrated  through  cupidity. 
The  last  effect  of  Zaccheus's  conversion  was 
the  exercise  of  genuine  Christian  liberalit3\  He 
did  not  stop  with  the  feeling  of  jo}'  which  he 
experienced,  nor  with  the  acknowledgment  of 
his  sin,  nor  even  with  the  restitution  he  made, 
but  he  passed  on  without  delay  to  the  largest 
alms-giving.  Half  his  fortune  went  in  one  dona- 
tion to  the  poor :  "  that  fortune,"  as  another 
has  said,  "  wliich  he  had  amassed  by  measures 
so  unscrupulous ;  that  fortune  on  which  he  had 
set  his  heart;  that  fortune  for  which  he  had  sac- 
rificed his  good  name,  his  happiness  and  his  im- 
mortal soul."  But  the  entrance  of  Christ  into 
his  heart  produced  therein  a  radical  change. 
He  became  at  once  a  new  man.  What  things 
formerly  were  gain  he  now  counted  but  loss.  He 
was  more  eager  in  his  new  life  to  restore  than 
he  was  in  his  old  to  appropriate ;  more  ready 
to  give  than  he  was  to  get. 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVER5ION3.  89 

One  of  the  marvels  connected  with  this  con- 
version is  that,  in  spite  of  its  suddenness,  it 
was  most  complete.  The  morning  saw  Zaccheus 
a  man  whose  name  his  countrymen  could  not 
pronounce  without  contempt,  and  whose  own 
conscience  reechoed  their  accusation,  as  his  con- 
fession testifies.  In  the  morning  Christ  had  pro- 
nounced him  a  lost  man.  The  evening  of  the 
same  day  beheld  him  rescued  from  perdition, 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
made  just,  truthful  and  charitable.  The  palace 
which  resounded  in  the  morning  with  the  mirth 
of  the  extortioner  ransf  at  nisjht  with  the  sweet 
words  of  the  penitent — 

"Amazing  grace!    how  sweet   the   sound 
That   saved    a    wretch    like    me  ! 
I   once  was   lost,  but    now  am   found, 
Was   bhnd,  but   i>ow   I    see." 


Chapter  hi, 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    AN    AFFLICTED 
BEGGAR-BARTIMEUS. 


Mark  x.  46-52:  "And  they  came  to  Jericho:  and  as  he 
went  out  of  Jericho  with  his  disciples  and  a  great  number  of 
people,  blind  hartimeus,  the  son  of  Timeus,  sat  by  the  high- 
way side  beggiug,"  etc. 

IX  looking  at  the  two  men  brought  to  Christ 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Jericho,  we  discover 
resemblances  and  differences  in  the  mode 
and  circumstances  of  their  conversion.  Both  be- 
longed to  the  chosen  people.  Both  were  recog- 
nized by  their  neighbors  as  the  sons  of  Abra- 
ham according  to  the  flesh.  Consequently^,  we 
are  safe  in  saying  that  both  were  more  or  less 
familiar  with  the  law  and  the  prophets,  the 
Jewish  ritual  and  the  promises  concerning  the 
coming  of  Christ. 

Both  men  were  well  known  in  Jericho,  but 
for  diflferent  reasons.  The  publican,  by  his 
office,  social  position  and  wealth  ;  and  the  blind 
man  by  his  father,  Timeus,  who  was  a  person  of 
note  for  reasons  not  furnished  in  the  record. 
40 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  41 

The  fact  that  the  evangelist  states  that  Barti- 
meus  was  the  son  of  Timeiis  shows  that  he  was 
a  man  of  some  distinction  among  his  fellow- 
citizens. 

The  two  had  acquired  more  or  less  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus,  either  from  the  preaching  of 
John,  or  from  friends  and  neighbors  who  had 
seen  and  heard  him.  Both  believed  him  to  be 
more  than  an  ordinary  man — perhaps  a  per- 
former of  miracles  or  a  prophet,  if  not  the 
promised  Messiah.  What  they  had  heard  of 
him  produced  a  strong  desire  to  see  him. 
From  infancy  the  publican  had  looked  on  the 
beauties  of  Jericho  and  the  faces  of  its  citi- 
zens; but  Bartimeus  had  seen  neither.  Here 
is  presented  a  sad  contrast.  '•  I  can  fancy 
few  sadder  sights,"  says  Dr.  Guthrie,  "  than  a 
family,  parents  and  children,  all  blind — a  home 
where  the  flowers  have  no  beauty,  where  the 
night  has  no  stars,  where  the  morning  has  no 
blushing  dawn,  and  where  the  azure  sky  has 
no  blessed  sun ;  a  home  where  the  members 
have  never  looked  on  each  other's  faces,  but 
where  the  blind  father  sits  by  a  dull  fire  witli 
a  blind  boy  upon  his  knees,  and  the  sightless 
mother  nurses  at  her  breast  a  sightless  babe 
that  never  gladdened  her  with  his  happy  smile." 
The  chasm  between  Zaccheus  and  Bartimeus  in 
this  respect  was  as  wide  as  that  between  the 
east  and  the  west. 

The    subject  to   which    your   attention   is   in» 


42  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

vited  is  "  The  Conversion  of  an  Afflicted  Beg- 
gar— Bartimeus." 

Notice,  first,  the  view  which  he  had  been  hold- 
ing of  his  own  condition.  He  thought  for  years 
that  it  was  utterly  hopeless.  He  may  have  ac- 
cepted the  allegation  that  Jesus,  who  was  about 
to  pass  by,  had  power  to  heal  diseases.  He 
might  have  accepted  this  as  a  general  truth 
and  soliloquized,  "  Yes,  he  may  have  healed 
many  kinds  of  diseases,  he  may  have  cured 
serious  ailments,  he  may  have  even  opened  the 
eyes  of  the  blind,  but  I  do  not  believe  that 
he  has  ever  opened  the  ejes  of  one  stone- 
blind,  blind  for  fifty  years."  He  concluded, 
therefore,  that  his  case  was  peculiar,  difficult 
to   reach,   hopeless. 

He  mtxy,  on  the  other  hand,  have  implicitly 
believed  all  that  had  been  told  him  of  Jesus. 
He  may  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
could  heal  him,  if  he  would ;  that  he  could  re- 
move the  scales  from  eyes  as  blind  as  his,  if 
he  was  onl3'^  willing  to  do  it.  But  he  was  sure 
that  he  would  never  come  to  Jericho.  It  was 
a  den  of  thieves — a  corrupt,  God-forsaken  cit3\ 
Why  should  he  come  there?  He  would  be  de- 
spised of  the  priests  and  rejected  of  the  pub- 
licans.  That  must  have  been  known  to  him 
since  he  was  a  prophet  and  possibly  the  Mes- 
siah. He  was  honored  at  Nazareth;  he  was 
followed  by  a  multitude  of  admiring  people 
along  the  shores  of  Galilee ;   he  was  sure   to  be 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  43 

received  with  roj-al  honor  at  Jerusalem.  "  He 
will  not  come  to  Jericho,  and  I,  a  poor,  afflicted 
beggar,  cannot  leave  home  nor  cross  the  coun- 
try in  order  to  meet  him.     My  doom  is  sealed  1 

"  Jericho  is  a  populous.  Godless  city,  and 
Christ  is  gracious  and  full  of  compassion.  For 
these  reasons  he  may  come  to  Herod's  city. 
But,  if  he  does,  he  v/ill  take  the  royal  road 
and  not  this  obscure  path  beside  which  I  sit. 
He  may  open  the  eyes  of  those  fortunate 
enough  to  come  in  his  way  or  w^ho  may  have 
friends  to  bring  them  to  his  presence.  Alas  I 
1  do  not  belong  to  that  class.  Consequently  I 
must  keep  my  old  seat  by  the  roadside  and  be 
contented  to  let  him  go,  without  his  blessing, 
even  if  he  pass  this  wa}-.  There  is  no  hope  for 
me! 

'•  Should  he  come  to  Jericho  and  pass  my 
way,  he  will  not  notice  me.  He  is  a  King, 
not  accustomed  to  speak  to  beggars !  He  is 
high  and  lifted  up,  hence  he  is  above  looking 
on  a  blind  man  by  the  wayside.  He  is  sur- 
rounded by  such  a  multitude  as  will  render  it 
impossible  for  him  to  hear  my  cry.  It  is  vain, 
therefore,  to  hope  for  anything  better  than  I 
now  enjo}'.  Blindness  and  beggary  will  continue 
to  be  my  unwelcome  companions  to  the  end  of 
life!"  Some  such  thoughts  as  these  probably 
passed  through  the  mind  of  Bartimeus  after  he 
heard  of  Jesus. 

We  often   hear  somethin^r   like   this   from   the 


44  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

lips  of  those  who  are  spiritually  blind.  They 
unduly  emphasize  their  unworthiness  and  lost 
condition.  They  sometimes  aver  that  the  class 
to  which  they  belong  is  so  uninviting  that  the 
Son  of  God  will  not  visit  them.  Should 
he  have  pity  on  an}^,  it  will  be  on  those 
who  are  in  a  favorable  position,  or  posses- 
sion of  friends  who  have  influence  with  him. 
He  will  not,  he  cannot  condescend  to  look 
on  any  one  so  lowly  and  so  far  gone  as  they 
are!  What  a  strange  view  to  take  of  the 
Friend  of  sinners  I  What  ignorance  of  the  char- 
acter of  his  love!  What  an  erroneous  con- 
ception of  his  infinite  compassion!  The  ground 
of  his  love  does  not  lie  in  lis,  nor  in  anything 
about  us.  He  himself  is  the  cause  and  rea- 
son, the  motive  and  end  of  his  love  for  our 
race.  If  we  fail  to  grasp  this  thought  we  have 
not  learned  the  half  of  the  fulness  of  Christ's 
love.  His  is  a  love  which  has  no  motive  but 
itself;  a  love  which  is  eternal,  having  existed 
in  the  divine  heart  before  there  were  creatures 
toward  whom  it  could  flow ;  a  love  that  is  its 
own  guarantee,  its  own  cause,  safe  and  un- 
shaken, with  all  the  firmness  of  his  unchange- 
able nature,  unaff'ected  by  our  transgressions, 
deeper  than  our  ill  deserts,  more  ancient  than 
the  hills,  partaking  of  the  essence  of  the  co- 
equal and  coeternal   Son  of  God. 

It   is   as   true  of  the    Son    as    of    the    Father 
that    he   is  love ;    hence,    before    any   considera- 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  45 

tion  of  what  we  need — deeper  and  more  blessed 
than  all  thoughts  of  compassion  which  spring 
from  the  feeling  of  human  distress  and  the 
sight  of  human  misery' — lies  this  thought  of  an 
affection  which  does  not  require  the  presence 
of  sorrow  to  evoke  it,  which  does  not  wait  for 
the  touch  of  men's  fingers  to  flow  out,  but 
which  is  in  its  very  nature  everlasting,  m  its 
vcr}^  nature  infinite ,  in  its  very  nature  a  stream 
which  pours  out  the  flood  of  its  measureless 
fulness  upon  the  heads  of  the  poorest  as  well 
as  of  the  richest  of  our  fallen  race.  This  is 
wondrous   love ! 

Under  a  painful  consciousness  of  his  inabil- 
ity to  comprehend  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Christ's  compassion,  or  to  do  anything  toward 
receiving  his  sight,  Bartimeus  lifted  the  loud 
cry,  "Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me."  The  selfish  disciples  checked  him,  chidei 
him,  and  even  tried  to  stop  him.  But  he  cried 
the  more;  for  it  was  his  first,  perhaps  his  only 
chance.  He  must  remain  blind  till  the  day  of 
his  death  if  he  cannot  now  catch  the  ear  and 
arrest  the  progress  of  the  great  Physician  as 
he  is  passing  by.  The  obstructions  in  his  wa}' 
only  made  him  to  cry  the  more  a  great  deal, 
"  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me." 

Notice,  secondly,  the  means  Bartimeus  took 
to  find  relief. 

He  looked  for  it  in  the  right  place.  He  did 
not,  like   the   woman    in    the   gospel,   spend   his 


46  NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

all  Oil  physicians  who  failed  to  afford  any  relief. 
He  went  not  after  quacks  or  magicians  to  open 
bis  eyes.  He  did  not  inalve  his  appeal  to  the 
disciples  to  intercede  for  him.  He  did  all  he 
could  to  catch  the  ear  of  the  Great  Physician. 
Quitting  man,  he  turned  to  God.  Abandoning 
human  expedients,  he  resorted  to  divine  grace. 
Relinquishing  all  hopes  of  finding  relief  in 
earthly  means,  he  turned  his  darkened  e3-eballs 
toward  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  was  passing  by. 

He  looked  for  relief  at  the  right  time. 
Happy  man,  who  hit  on  the  nick  of  time  I  It 
ought  not  to  be  said,  perhaps,  that  any  time 
could  be  a  wrong  time,  but  Jesus  had  not 
been  that  ^vay  before  and  he  was  not  likely 
to  pass  again  that  way.  This  perhaps  was  not 
known  to  the  blind  beggar,  but  it  was  enough 
for  him  to  know  that  he  might  not  come  ngain 
that  wa}^  and  that  even  if  he  should  he  himself 
might  not  be  there  to  meet  him  or  to  receive 
his  blessing.  He  was,  therefore,  determined  to 
make  the  best  of  his  present  opportunity^ 

He  looked  for  relief  in  the  right  manner. 
He  plead  no  Scripture  promises,  for  he  knew 
of  none  that  met  his  case.  He  sought  nothing 
to  commend  him  to  Christ,  for  there  was  noth- 
ing within  his  reach  that  could  do  so.  He 
came  in  faith,  believing  in  Christ's  power  to  do 
what  he  asked.  He  came  with  prayer  upon  his 
lips.  He  did  not  offer  a  long,  or  a  carefully 
worded   one.     It   was   a  simple   cry  of  distress : 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  4/ 

*'  Son  of  Diivid,  have  mercy  on  me."  Though 
brief,  it  was  direct,  intelliirent,  importunate;  it 
recognized  in  the  Son  of  David  divinity  as  well 
as  humanity,  consequently,  the  possession  of 
power  to  heal  him.  It  w^as  uttered  in  faith  : 
"  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me." 

The  greatest  hindrance  to  the  salvation  of 
this  man  came  from  Christ's  own  disciples. 
They  did  all  they  could  to  stop  his  cry,  not 
because  they  were  Indifferent  to  his  condition, 
but  because  they  w^ere  unwilling  to  lose  aught 
of  the  time  or  the  words  of  Jesus,  or  because 
they  doubted  his  sincerity  in  crying  for  aid. 
No  matter  which  of  these  reasons  influenced 
their  conduct,  it  was  unworthy  of  men  who 
were  themselves  saved  by  grace.  If  they  were 
indiflferent  to  the  sad  condition  of  a  blind  beggar 
sitting  by  the  wayside,  it  showed  a  state  of 
heart  unworthy  the  disciples  of  the  compassion- 
ate Saviour.  If  they  were  so  anxious  to  hear 
all  that  fell  from  his  lips  that  they  could  not 
afford  to  let  him  speak  words  of  healing  to  a 
blind  beggar,  they  went  be3'ond  what  was  be- 
coming in  Christ's  followers.  If  they  doubted 
the  sincerity  of  the  man  in  crying  after  the 
wonder-worker,  they  were  uncharitable. 

Here  we  discover  the  great  difference  between 
the  thought  concerning  sinful  creatures  which 
is  natural  to  a  holy  being  and  that  concerning 
them  which  is  natural  to  a  half-hearted,  self- 
righteous   man.     The  one  is  repulsion,  certainly 


48  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

indifference;  the  other  is  pity.  Jesus  knew 
what  the  blind  beggar  was,  and  consequently  he 
halted  on  the  road  and  commanded  him  to  be 
brought  to  him.  What  did  his  knowledge  of 
him  lead  to?  To  reject  him?  To  chide 
him  ?  To  hurl  at  him  his  withering  rebukes  ? 
No!  It  made  him  more  gentle  and  tender;  it 
added  new  brightness  to  his  face  and  softness 
to  the  tones  of  his  voice  as  he  said  to  him, 
"What  wilt  thou  that  I  should  do  unto  thee? 
Thy  sins  are  truly  great,  but  my  love  is  greater. 
Thine  ill  deserts  are  as  the  great  sea,  but  my 
love  is  as  the  everlasting  mountains,  whose 
roots  go  down   far  beneath  its   deepest  places." 

What  lessons  of  encouragement  are  here 
taught  the  spiritually  blind?  They,  like  Barti- 
meus,  must  look  for  relief  in  the  right  place. 
They  should  resort  to  no  earthly  expedients  to 
remove  their  blindness;  they  should  believe  in 
no  quack  or  magician  to  render  them  aid; 
for  all  these  are  but  deceivers.  They  should 
not  content  themselves  with  consulting  parents, 
teachers  or  even  tender-hearted  pastors,  but 
should  go  directly  to  the  Great  Physician. 
They  should  forthwith  utter  the  cry,  "  Lord, 
save,  I  perish." 

They  must  seek  him  also  at  the  right  time. 
"  Now  is  the  accepted  time,"  and  not  when  the 
Saviour  comes  again,  next  month  or  next  year. 
They  must  let  the  uncertainty  as  to  whether  he 
will   come   again   or  not   lead   them   to   cry  the 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  49 

more,  "  Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us  ; 
have  mercy  on  us  to-day,  now,  this  moment  1" 

They  must  furthermore  seek  him  in  the  right 
manner.  They  must  exercise  faith  in  his  power 
and  say  to  him :  "  If  thou  wilt  thou  canst 
make  us  clean."  They  must  not  depend  on  an3% 
thing  of  their  own,  but  cry  to  him  for  help, 
cry  quickl}^  cry  intelligent!}",  cry  importunately. 

If  the  disciples'  hearts  should  be  cold,  we 
are  assured  that  Jesus's  is  tender.  If  professed 
Christians  should  be  selfish,  we  are  told  that 
Jesus  is  self-denying.  If  men  should  be  suspi- 
cious of  our  motives,  we  learn  that  the  Searcher 
of  hearts  knows  them  and  will  freely  forgive. 
His  infinite  loving-kindness  does  not  turn  away 
from  us  because  we  are  sinners,  but  remains 
hovering  about  us,  with  wooing  invitations  and 
gentle  drawings,  in  order  to  bring  ns  to  re- 
pentance and  open  a  fountain  of  genuine  affec- 
tion in  our  dry  and  dusty  hearts. 

"  Sin,"  says  some  one,  "  is  but  a  cloud,  be- 
hind which  the  everlasting  sun  lies  in  all  its 
power  and  warmth,  unatfected  by  the  cloud  ; 
and  the  light  of  his  love  will  yet  pierce 
through  with  its  merciful  shafts,  bringing  heal- 
ing in  their  beams  and  dispersing  all  the 
pitchy  darkness  of  man's  transgressions.  And 
as  the  mists  gather  themselves  up  and  roll 
away,  dissipated  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  in  the 
upper  sky,  and  reveal  the  fair  earth  below,  so 
the   love  of  Christ  shines  in,  melting  the  mists 


50  NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

and  dissipating  the  fog,  thinning  it  off  in  its 
thickest  places,  and  at  last  piercing  its  way 
right  through  it  down  to  the  heart  of  the 
man  who  has  been  l^ing  beneath  the  oppres- 
sion of  this  thick  darkness,  and  who  thought 
that  the  fog  was  the  sky  and  that  there  was 
no    sun    above." 

Notice,  thirdly,  the  response  Bartimeus  re- 
ceived from  the  passer-by.  It  is  impossible 
to  see  this  in  all  its  grandeur  without  call- 
ing to  mind  who  Christ  was,  whither  he  was 
going,  and  what  was  awaiting  him  at  Jerusa- 
lem. He  was  the  son  of  David,  the  promised 
Messiah,  the  Eternal  Son  of  God  who  had 
created  all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power; 
he  was  at  this  moment  displaying  in  his  life  and 
actions  the  attributes  of  divinity,  and  attending 
to  the  affairs  of  ten  thousand  worlds.  He  was 
on  his  way  to  Calvary,  where  he  was  soon  to 
be  offered  up  like  his  illustrious  type  on  Mo- 
riah ;  he  was  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  divine 
wrath,  struggle  with  the  powers  of  darkness, 
suffer  the  hidings  of  the  Father's  face,  and  die 
upon  the  cross  amid  the  insults  of  an  infuriated 
mob. 

Under  such  circumstances  what  could  ar- 
rest his  attention?  What  impede  his  prog- 
ress ?  What  could  call  his  mind  away  from 
these  great  events?  Would  the  destin}^  of 
one  person  be  sufficiently  important  to  gain  a 
thought    of    his    at    such    a    moment?     Would 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  61 

angels  or  cherubim  be  allowed  to  intrude  at 
this  time?  Could  there  be  a  voice  in  heaven 
or  on  earth  able  to  catch  his  ear  at  such  a 
juncture?  Was  there  a  being  in  the  universe 
bold  enough  to  approach  him  under  the  shadow 
of  his  approaching  sufferings?  Yes,  one,  and 
perhaps  only  one.  Hark!  "Son  of  David,  have 
mercy  on  mel"  Who  is  that  man?  An  afflicted 
mortal.  A  blind  beggar,  obtruding  his  petty 
sorrows  on  the  heart  that  is  gathering  to 
itself  the  woes  of  a  world.  What  rashness! 
In  this  light  we  should  be  indulgent  toward 
the  disciples'  conduct.  Will  the  voice  of  such 
an  one  be  heeded?  Will  the  war-chariot  rush- 
ing into  battle  turn  aside  for  a  worm  ?  Will 
the  swell  of  the  sea,  breaking  on  the  shore, 
be  checked  by  a  straying  bird?  Shall  not 
heaven  and  earth  join  the  multitude  in  biddino- 
Bartimeus  hold  his  peace?  If  they  do  they  will 
betray  a  mistaken  view  of  the  heart  of  Jesus. 
If  they  decide  that  by  so  doing  they  are  hon- 
oring him  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  the 
lost,  they  will  be  put  to  shame  b^-  his  gracious 
act.  He  turned  at  the  beggar's  cry  and  looked 
with  compassion  on  his  blind  eyes.  lie  "  stood 
still "  and  cast  upon  Bartimeus  a  look  of  infin- 
ite benignit}^ 

"  Oh,  when,"  asks  some  one,  "  did  Christ  ever 
refuse  to  stay  at  the  call  of  a  distressed 
sinner?  Nay,  if  he  stayed  at  the  gates  of 
Jericho,   when    can   he    refuse?     Is  he  not    the 


52  NEW  TESTAMENT  COiS: VERSIONS. 

same,  yesterday,  to-cla^^,  and  forever?  Has  the 
love  which  death  and  the  grave  could  not 
quench  perished  in  his  exaltation?  Did  he 
not  bring  it  with  him  from  the  throne?  And  is 
it  not  an  everlasting  love?  Oh,  needy  sinners, 
he  cannot  refuse  your  cry.  '  Jesus,  Son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  me'  finds  its  way  through 
adoring  ranks  of  saints  and  urges  and  constrains 
his  blessed  heart.     He  cannot  resist  it." 

Christ  not  only  listened  to  the  cry  of  the 
blind  beggar,  but  he  called  for  him.  The 
three  evangelists  differ  in  their  statement  of 
this  act.  Some  claim  that  they  find  here  a  jar- 
ring note,  but  to  our  ear  there  is  nothing  but 
the  harmony  of  heaven.  Listen!  Matthew 
says,  "  he  called ;  "  Mark,  "  he  commanded  him 
to  be  called ;  "  and  Luke,  "  he  commanded  him 
to  be  brought  unto  him."  These  are  but  pro- 
gressive steps  from  blindness  to  sight,  from 
death  to  life.  Bartimeus  was  savingly  called  by 
Christ;  he  was  instrumentalhj  called  by  men  ; 
and  he  was  efficiently  called  by  the  helping 
hand  which  guided  him  to  the  presence  of 
Jesus.  This  is  indeed  effectual  calling.  God 
calls  you,  dear  reader,  to  eternal  life.  His  ser- 
vants are  commissioned  to  call  you  ;  they  come 
now  with  their  loving  invitation.  Will  3'ou  heed 
them  ?  All  the  aid  you  need  in  order  to  come 
is  accessible,  freely  offered  you.  Hands  are 
ready  to  guide,  tongues  are  willing  to  instruct, 
and  means  are  within  reach  to  strengthen  you. 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  53 

Having  come  to  tbe  Saviour  in  obedience 
to  bis  call,  Bartimeus  was  asked,  "What  wilt 
thou  that  I  should  do  unto  thee?"  What 
is  your  request?  Christ  well  knew  what  he 
wished,  but  he  let  him  tell  his  own  story. 
lie  said,  "  Lord,  that  I  might  receive  my  sight." 
"And  immediately  he  received  his  sight."  Upon 
asking,  the  blessing  was  bestowed.  The  blind 
man  immediately  saw.  A  new  universe  now 
burst  upon  his  sight.  All  about,  around  and 
within  him  seemed  new.  The  great  sun,  the 
full  moon,  and  the  million  stars,  with  all  the 
beauty  of  air,  cloud,  trees,  flowers  and  hills 
came  to  the  blind  man  as  he  opened  his  eyes. 
But  the  firat  object  that  struck  his  illumined 
eyeballs  was  the  Opener.  Though  brightly 
shone  the  sun  and  fair  seemed  the  Jordan  val- 
ley, though  gorgeous  appeared  the  foliage  of 
the  sycomore  and  the  acacia,  all  new  and  won- 
drous sights  to  him,  yet  they  were  not  the  first 
objects  that  he  saw.  The  renewed  faculty  of 
vision  was  first  exercised  on  him  by  whom  the 
sight  had  been  bestowed,  and  upon  him  all 
the  wealth  within  its  power  was  cheerfuU}'  lav- 
ished. 

Who  can  depict  the  glowing  views  which 
break  upon  the  vision  of  the  newly-converted 
soul  ?  A  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth ;  new 
objects  to  live  for,  new  beauties  in  life ;  new 
fountains  of  delight,  and  new  sources  of  con- 
solation.     Songs    in    the    night    and    stars     of 


54  NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

promise;  the  light  of  morning  with  its  fragrant 
breath  and  the  singing  of  birds;  health  for  the 
sick,  restoration  to  the  banished,  pardon  to  the 
doomed  and  life  to  the  dying ;  love,  joy,  peace, 
hope,  crowns,  waving  palms  and  blessed  visions 
of  eternal  glory  come   now   to  sight. 

Notice,  lastly,  two  of  the  results  of  Christ's 
gracious  act  in  opening  the  blind  man's  eyes. 
He  followed  Jesus  in  the  way.  He  did  not 
say,  "  Having  received  my  sight,  I  shall  hence- 
forth be  able  to  take  care  of  myself"  His  grat- 
itude was  too  great  for  that.  The  sunflower 
could  more  readily  hide  its  face  and  turn  aside 
from  the  light  of  day  than  the  eyes  of  poor 
Bartimeus  could  allow  Jesus  to  go  out  of  his 
sight.  Those  newly  opened  eyes  looked  after 
him  whithersoever  he  went.  They  followed  his 
steps  and  waited  for  further  manifestations  of 
his  glory.  Bartimeus  carried  out  the  command, 
"  If  any  man  love  me,  let  him  follow  me." 
Christ's  sheep  hear  his  voice  and  follow  him. 
It  is  hardly  credible  that  he  has  very  many 
sheep  who  refuse  long  to  do  his  bidding.  The 
Psalmist  does  not  speak  for  himself  alone,  but 
for  all  true  believers,  when  he  says,  "My  soul 
foUoweth  hard  after  thee."  It  was  the  salv^ation 
of  Caleb  and  Joshua  in  the  day  of  wrath,  and 
it  is  recorded  as  their  glory  that  they  followed 
the  Lord  fully.  It  is  the  only  path  of  safety, 
and  the  only  one  which  stops  not  short  of 
the    heavenly  Canaan.     Following   Jesus    is  the 


NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSION'S.  55 

antidote  of  all  error,  all  doubt  and  all  despon- 
dency ;  it  insures  soundness  in  doctrine,  growth 
in  grace,  and  comforting,  perpetual  and  life- 
giving  illumination  of  soul. 

Bartimeus  not  only  followed  Jesus  but  in 
addition  to  it,  he  ''glorified  God:''  The  piety 
of  the  early  Church  was  of  the  frank,  outspoken 
kind.  None  were  ashamed  of  their  King.  None 
shrank  from  being  regarded  as  his  subjects. 
What  bursts  of  joy  were  heard  from  their 
lips,  what  loud  thanksgivings,  like  the  swell  of 
the  sea,  w^ere  those  which  found  utterance  in 
the  well-known  words,  "  Come  and  hear,  all 
ye  that  fear  God,  and  I.  will  declare  what  he 
hath  done  for  my  soul.  I  will  bless  the  Lord 
at  all  times  :  his  praise  shall  continually  be  in 
my  mouth.  0  magnify  the  Lord  with  me,  and 
let  us  exalt  his  name  together  ! "  Let  all  who 
trust  that  they  are  God's  children  follow  this 
example  of  the  Psalmist. 


Chapter  iv. 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  A  TIMID  AND  LONELY 

INVALID-THE   WOMAN   WITH   THE 

ISSUE   OF  BLOOD. 


Mark  v.  2-5-34 :    "And  a  certain   woman,  which  had  an 
issue  of  blood  twelve  years,"  etc. 

LIGHT  is  a  great  revealer.  It  discloses 
to  the  eye  that  which,  without  it,  would 
remain  concealed.  It  brings  out  the 
good  and  the  bad,  the  cornel}^  and  the  repul- 
sive. It  renders  visible  the  tints  of  the  cloud 
and  the  blue  of  the  sea,  the  curve  of  the 
brook    and    the    contour    of  the    mountain. 

Light  not  only  reveals  what  without  it 
would  remain  unseen,  but  it  brings  out  of 
their  hiding  places  ol)jects  not  known  to 
exist.  It  extracts  odor  from  the  rose  and 
fragrance  from  the  violet;  it  draws  poison  out 
of  a  harmless  weed,  and  lifts  the  noisome  pest- 
ilence from  the  fetid  pool ;  it  calls  the  bird  out 
of  its  nest  and  the  wild  beast  from  its  lair. 

The  same  thing  is  witnessed  also  in  the  spir- 
itual  world.      Christ    himself  is   its   light.      His 
56 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  57 

coming  was  marked  by  the  appearance  of  virtue 
and  vice  never  before  known ;  of  beauties  and 
deformities  the  outlines  of  which  were  seen  by 
no  man's  eyes  until  then.  Ever}^  circuit  made 
by  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  disclosed  the 
healing  virtue  of  his  beams,  the  genial  nature 
of  his  presence,  and  the  sweet  beauty  of  his 
light.  It  moreover  disclosed  the  deformity  of 
sinful  life,  the  foul  diseases  to  which  our  fallen 
nature  is  heir,  the  hidden  iniquit}'  which  sleeps 
in  the  human  breast,  and  the  poisonous  miasma 
that  rises  from  concealed  sinks  of  corruptioa. 

As  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  Christ  still 
draws  out  the  unknown  and  neglected  sons 
and  daughters  of  sorrow  in  order  to  receive 
his  blessings.  Seated  in  glory ^  he  is  the  great 
High  Priest  who  can  be  touched  with  the 
feelings  of  our  infirmities  !  The  Bible  tells 
us  that  he  looks  down  upon  us  with  more 
than  the  compassion  which  he  manifested  when 
living  upon  earth.  "  His  garment,"  says  some 
one,  "  wide  spread  and  dropping  low,  is  near 
our  hand,  and  he  feels  a  sinner's  and  a  suf- 
ferer's touch  upon  his  throne,  with  circle  on 
circle  of  glory  gathering  round  him,  and 
saints  and  angels  thronging  in.  He  came 
down  that,  in  his  nearness  to  our  miser}',  we 
might  learn  to  know  his  heart,  and  he  rose  that 
we  might  be  assured  of  his  power  to  help  and 
to    heal." 

The  subject  here  suggested  is  the   Conversion 


58  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVEKSIONS. 

of    a    Timid    and    Lonely    Invalid — the    Woman 
with  the  Issue  of  Blood. 

Notice,  first,  her  condition  before  she  touched 
the  hem  of  Christ's  garment.  She  is  repre- 
sented as  a  person  whose  life  had  a  dark  back- 
ground of  loneliness,  ignorance  and  disease, 
that  set  forth  Christ's  compassion  in  bold  relief. 
It  is  probable  that  she  was  unknown  to  the 
people  among  whom  she  lived,  unknown  to  the 
multitude  who  followed  the  Saviour,  and  un- 
known to  him,  except  as  she  was  one  of  the 
she^p  whom  his  Father  had  given  him  to  re- 
claim. She  may  have  shrunk  from  society  on 
account  of  her  disease,  or  may  have  been  ren- 
dered unable  by  her  malady  to  take  an  active 
part  in  society,  or  may  have  evaded  her  neigh- 
bors in  consequence  of  her  condition.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  cause  of  her  loneli- 
ness, the  fact  remained.  When  she  came  out 
of  her  obscure  abode  and  mingled  with  the 
crowd  who  followed  the  Saviour  on  his  way 
to  heal  the  daughter  of  Jairus,  she  keenly 
realized  her  condition.  No  one  hailed  her  by 
name.  No  one  recognized  her  by  a  nod. 
No  one  encouraged  her  by  a  kind  word. 
Even  the  Saviour  did  not  accost  her.  No 
one  seemed  to  understand  her  eagerness,  know 
her  heart's  longing,  or  appreciate  her  motive 
in  pushing  through  the  multitude.  She  had 
been  lonely  in  her  own  home,  and  she  is  now 
lonely  in   a   crowd. 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSION-S.  59 

She  was  not  onl}'  lonely,  but  ignorant. 
From  not  knowing  the  Scriptures  and  the 
power  of  God,  we  may  reasonably  concUide  that 
she  was  ignorant  even  of  common  things  con- 
cerning the  Christ.  Be  that  as  it  ma}^  she  en- 
tertained some  dim  and  confused  views  of  his 
power  to  heal.  She  thought  of  him,  possibly,  as 
a  worker  of  miracles,  who,  like  the  magicians  of 
the  day,  ciired  by  material  means.  She  knew 
nothing  of  his  divine  will,  of  his  infinite  knowl- 
edge, or  of  his  pit>'ing  love.  She  felt  that,  if 
she  could  but  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment, 
the  repositor}^,  as  she  thought,  of  his  healing 
virtue,  she  would  be  made  whole.  And  she 
sought  to  obtain  this  without  his  knowledge 
or  agency.  What  ignorance  of  the  Saviour's 
character  and  of  his  way  of  working !  What 
misconception  of  the  relation  existing  between 
his  person  and  his  healing  blessings !  What 
low,  superstitious  views  of  the  salvation  of  the 
soul ! 

She  was,  moreover,  the  victim  of  an  incurable 
disease.  We  read  that  she  was  suffering  from 
the  issue  of  blood.  Like  the  lepros}^  this  dis- 
ease afforded  those  afflicted  with  it  no  hope  of 
securing  a  cure  by  human  expedients.  And  yet, 
that  indisposition  to  give  up  and  accept  of  her 
lot,  led  her  to  try  all  the  physicians  she  heard 
of  in  the  expectation  that  some  of  them  might 
succeed  in  removing  it.  For  twelve  long  3^ears 
she  hoped  against  hope,  suffered  from  the  treat- 


60  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

ments  to  which  she  was  subjected,  and  spent  all 
she  had  in  seeking  what  she  might  have  known 
to  be  impossible. 

This  is  not  all  1  She  was  ceremonially  un- 
clean, and  consequently  debarred  the  privilege 
of  going  to  the  only  place  where  she  could  rea- 
sonably ex[)ect  comfort.  She  was  not  allowed  to 
enter  the  courts  of  God's  house.  Her  heart  was 
not  permitted  to  swell  with  joy  in  connection 
with  the  Jewish  feasts.  She  was  obliged  to 
feel  that  she  had  no  part  or  lot  in  the  inheri- 
tance of  Jacob.  How  trying  to  a  true  daughter 
of  Abraham  !  Doubly  trying  it  must  have  been 
to  one  who  had  all  her  days  attached  even 
superstitious  importance  to  the  outward  rites 
and   ceremonies  of  the   temple. 

Long  before  she  met  the  Saviour  she  had 
sunk  into  a  state  of  helplessness  and  despair. 
How  could  it  have  been  otherwise?  She  was 
lonely  and  without  a  relative  to  care  for  her! 
She  was  ignorant,  and  often  haunted  by  supersti- 
tious notions  I  She  had  become  convinced  that 
her  disease  was  incurable  and  had  no  means  of 
support  during  the  remaining  days  of  her  life. 
Who  would  not  f6el  despondent  under  such  an 
accumulation  of  evils  ? 

Is  not  this  a  picture  of  thousands  of  men 
and  women  in  our  own  da}^  ?  Many  feel  that 
no  one  cares  for  their  souls.  Not  a  friend 
has  taken  them  by  the  hand  or  said  to  them, 
*'  Be   of  good  cheer."     They  go  to  God's  house 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  61 

and  come  from  it  without  recognition.  Even 
tlie  minister  foils  often  to  reach  their  case  from 
tlie  pulpit,  or  to  aid  them  b}-  a  call  at  their 
homes.  In  man}"  cases,  they  are  ignorant  of 
spiritual  truth  and  the  way  of  salvation. 
They  have  never  understood  thoroughly  the  way 
of  life.  The3^  have  turned  to  the  world  for  the 
cure  of  their  spiritual  malady,  and  received  no 
response.  They  ought  to  have  known  that  it 
furnishes  no.  remed}"  for  the  diseases  of  the 
soul.  It  has  no  balm  for  a  wounded  heart. 
It  is  a  broken  cistern  which  for  a  thirsty  one 
holds  no  water.  It  promises,  but  it  never  per- 
forms. It  bruises,  but  it  never  heals.  Sinners 
have  no  share  in  the  blessings  promised  to 
God's  people.  They  are  strangers  to  the  joy 
of  salvation.  They  are  without  hope  and  with- 
out God  in  the  world.  No  light  of  truth  shines 
within  their  souls,  telling  of  sin  put  away  and  of 
peace  proclaimed  through  Christ's  blood.  There 
is  no  salvation  lighting  up  the  heart  with 
love,  quickening  it  with  devotion,  and  mak- 
ing God's  service  a  delight.  All  is  dark- 
ness and  uncertainty^  fear  and  dread,  bondage 
and  restraint,  dreariness  and  death.  The  memo- 
rial over  the  skeleton  remains  of  a  bishop, 
scratched  by  his  own  hand  in  one  of  the  dun- 
geons of  Rome,  is  the  only  true  superscription 
to  put  over  the  brightest  and  best  the  world 
can  hold  out  to  them  :  "  No  rest  here  but  in 
Christ." 


62  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

Notice,  secoiicll}^,  v/liat  prompted  this  woman 
to  turn  to  Christ?  There  are  many  things 
connected  with  her  life  not  revealed  to  us. 
We  are  not  told  how  she  learned  that  Jesus 
was  to  come  her  way ;  how  she  found  that  there 
was  virtue  in  the  hem  of  his  garment ;  how  she 
became  convinced  that  he  could  do  more  for 
her  than  all  her  physicians.  There  is  a  thick 
veil  thrown  over  the  whole  of  this.  We  cannot 
afhrm  that  any  friend  of  Jesus  had  told  her, 
because  her  conduct  was  not  that  of  a  person 
well  informed  regarding  his  character.  Besides, 
repeated  disappointments,  like  those  she  had 
so  often  experienced,  would  have  cast  strong 
doubts  on  a  mere  report.  An  agent  had  been 
at  work  in  her  heart,  of  which  she  was  probably 
unconscious,  and  of  whose  work  she  was  not  able 
to  otfer  an}^  explanation.  The  Spirit  of  God  had 
been  preparing  the  vessel  for  the  virtue  that 
was    to    be   poure'd   into    it. 

Here  is  disclosed  a  phase  of  conversion  worthy 
of  our  careful  notice,  viz.,  the  preparatory  work 
of  the  Spirit,  before  the  sinner  is  conscious  of 
it,  producing  contrition,  the  lifting  of  the  eye, 
the  falling  of  the  penitential  tear,  involving  per- 
haps years  of  providential  dealings  by  which  the 
soul  emerges  at  length  from  darkness  to  light. 
Who  can  trace  it  ?  Where  is  its  record  ?  There 
is  a  veil  thrown  over  it.  The  soul's  conversion 
is  like  tlie  volcanic  eruption  which,  though  un- 
seen by  mortal  eye,  has  been  little  by  little  gath- 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  63 

ering  its  elements  for  one  grand  explosion,  until 
it  makes  itself  heard  and  felt.  What  is  called 
a  sudden  conversion  is  frequently  sudden  only 
in  the  sense  that  the  coming  out  is  sudden. 
The  work  had  been  secretly  going  on  within  for 
years  under  the  eye  and  agency  of  the  Spirit. 

Not  only  the  Spirit  had  been  working  quietly 
within,  but  the  Saviour  himself,  like  a  great 
magnet,  had  come  near  enough  to  draw  the 
soul  to  his  feet.  "  Faith,"  says  some  one, '"  goes 
straight  to  Christ  like  a  driven  arrow,  with 
grounds  for  going  that  it  cannot  tell  to  others, 
or  tell  even  to  itself.  There  is  an  intuition 
which  has  reason  in  its  heart,  and  which  will 
be  able  one  day  to  bring  them  out  full  ami 
clear — a  groping  half-blind  which  will  yet  find 
enlightened  eyes — a  sense  of  misery,  of  sin, 
urged  to  him  by  a  divine  necessity.  '  Lord, 
to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life,' " 

There  is  nothing  here  out  of  analogy  with 
what  is  perfectly  familiar  to  us  in  the  natural 
world.  Who  can  tell  why  the  needle  points  to 
the  pole?  Why  the  buds  feel  their  way  to  the 
warm  breath  of  spring  ?  Why  the  flowers  turn 
to  the  sunlight  ?  The  only  answer  which  can  be 
given  is  that  the}'  are  made  for  it.  Souls,  in 
like  manner,  are  made  for  Christ.  He  created 
them,  loved  them,  died  for  them,  and,  when  he 
comes  near,  they  feel  his  drawing  power  and 
cannot  keep  away  from  him  or  live  without  him. 


64  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

The  reason  of  this  is  not  hard  to  find.  It  is 
Christ's  whisper  in  the  heart,  "  M}^  sheep  hear 
m}^  voice."  The  cure  began  with  this  woman 
before  she  had  touched  the  hem  of  his  garment. 
Christ's  arm  guided  her  to  himself.  His 
strength  sustained  her  in  her  weakness.  His 
lips  whispered,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  "  Some  day,  we  shall  find  that  Christ 
was  with  us  in  all  our  good  purposes,  in  all  our 
choosing  and  chosen  hours ;  Christ  was  with 
us  bat  we  knew  it  not.  Nevertheless  our  heart 
burned  within  us  while  he  talked  with  us 
by  the  way.  This  gives  the  assurance  of  final 
success  to  those  who  long  for  the  healing  of  the 
soul,  for  where  that  soul  feels  its  need  of 
Christ,  it  is  Christ  who  is  there,  leading  it  to 
himself." 

A  striking  illustration  of  this  is  aff*orded  in 
the  case  of  a  deaf  boy  who  was  brought  to 
Christ  during  a  season  of  religious  interest. 
He  could  not  hear  any  thing  said  by  the 
preacher.  He  could  not  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  the  prayers.  He  could  not  throw  his  soul 
into  the  sweet  incense  of  praise,  and  3'et  he  was 
most  attentive  on  the  service ;  he  was  interested 
in  the  work  going  on,  he  was  at  times  moved  to 
tears,  and  was  finally  converted.  With  others, 
he  applied  for  a  place  in  the  church,  and  was 
accepted  by  the  session.  Strange  to  say,  his  ex- 
perience was  identical   with   that   of  his   friends 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  65 

who  could  both  see  nnd  hear!  Like  them,  he 
was  taught  of  God.  Heavenly  mekxly  got  some- 
how into  his  deaf  ears,  and  heaven's  glory 
shone  upon  his  blind  eyes.  The  Spirit  worked 
faith  within  him,  which  drew  his  whole  being  to 
the  feet  of  Jesus  who  was  passing  by. 

Notice,  thirdly,  how  she  presented  herself  to 
the  Saviour.  In  general  terms,  it  may  be  said 
that  she  presented  herself  just  as  she  was.  She 
was  alone,  and  consequently  had  not  the  i^rayers 
of  relatives  to  depend  upon,  nor  the  interces- 
sion of  neighbors  to  look  to,  nor  the  instruc- 
tions of  a  teacher  to  follow.  She  had  spent  her 
all  on  physicians,  and  therefore  she  could  bring 
no  gift  to  the  altar.  She  had  shed  no  tears  of 
repentance,  consequently  she  could  not  point  to 
them  as  her  precious  jewels.  She  had  not  kept 
the  whole  law  of  God,  and  hence  she  could  not 
present  any  righteousness  as  a  plea.  She  offered 
no  prayer  for  mercy,  and  therefore  could  not 
lean  on  it.  What,  then,  did  she  do?  She  drew 
near  enough  to  touch  the  hem  of  Christ's  gar- 
ment. There  is  something  striking  in  this.  She 
longed  for  a  sense  of  nearness  to  Christ.  Her 
heart  pressed  close  to  the  Healer  as  a  sick  child 
to  its  mother's  breast.  This  was  done  in  obe- 
dience to  an  instinct  of  her  soul  which  the 
Saviour  himself  had  sanctioned. 

She  not  only  drew  nigh  him,  but  touched  the 
hem  of  his  garment.  She  did  it  with  fear 
and    trembling.     She    durst   not    appeal    to    his 


bb  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

heart,  for  she  was  ignorant  of  its  feelings 
toward  her;  she  shrank  from  meeting  his  eye, 
because  she  knew  not  but  it  was  full  of  terror. 
She  resolved  to  let  him  pass  b}^  and  then 
quietly  put  forth  her  trembling  hand  to  touch  the 
hem  of  his  garment.  At  that  moment  cross 
currents  of  emotion  agitated  her  soul.  She  had 
doubts,  yet  she  believed  that  Christ  could  do 
her  good  ;  she  was  afraid  lest  she  might  be 
rebuked  and  driven  back,  yet  she  became 
bold  enough  by  her  very  despair  to  try  the 
experiment;  she  was  too  diffident  to  cast  her- 
self on  his  pity,  yet  she  had  too  much  faith 
not  to  try  his  healing  virtue.  In  this  conflict 
of  hope  and  despair,  she  stretched  forth  her 
hand    and   touched   the    hem    of  his   garment. 

There  is  here  not  only  an  approach  and  a 
touchy  but  a  true  exercise  of  faith.  She  would 
not  have  come  near  the  Saviour,  if  she  had  not 
had  some  confidence  in  him ;  she  would  not  have 
touched  the  hem  of  his  garment,  if  she  had  not 
believed  that  there  was  in  it  some  healing  virtue, 
but  oh,  how  iveakj  how  selfish,  how  groveling 
was  her  faith  !  It  was  but  a  mustard  seed.  It 
had  in  it  scarcely  any  knowledge  of  Christ's 
true  character.  She  looked  upon  him,  perhaps, 
more  as  a  magician  than  as  the  Redeemer  of 
the  world.  Yet,  she  knew  enough  to  approach 
him. 

Her  faith  was  as  selfish  as  it  was  iveak.  She 
sought  health ;  but  did  not  care  for  the  Healer. 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  67 

She  wanted  his  blessing,  but  did  not  feel  dis- 
posed to  honor  him  as  the  giver.  She  would 
probably  have  been  contented  to  have  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  hira,  if  she  could  only  steal 
some  healing  virtue.  She  felt  but  a  little  grati- 
tude toward  him  who,  she  hoped,  was  uncon- 
scious of  the  good  she  had  derived  from  her 
touch. 

Her  faith  was  groveling  as  well  as  weak  and 
selfish.  It  was  scarce  more  than  the  faith  of 
a  patient  in  a  skillful  physician,  the  faith  of  a 
client  in  an  advocate,  the  faith  of  a  beggar  in  a 
kind  friend,  yet  it  was  accepted  of  God  as  suffi- 
cient to  save. 

The  path  to  Christ  is  here  beautifully  set 
forth.  Men  must  come  to  him  like  the  poor 
woman  in  the  text.  It  is  so  plain  that  even  a 
wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  need  not  err 
therein.  Trust  in  the  prayers  and  intercessions 
of  friends  must  be  relinquished ;  reliance  upon 
interviews  with  pastors  or  parents,  leaning  on 
our  own  understanding,  looking  to  human  ex- 
pedients, trust  in  penances,  prayers,  rounds  of 
religious  duties,  tears  and  church  ordinances, 
confidence  in  our  own  efforts,  charitable  deeds 
or  kind  dispositions — all  these  must  be  relin- 
quished. Trust  in  Christ  himself  is  the  only 
wa3\  None  will  ever  obtain  Christ's  blessing 
without  it.  When  the  landscape  is  cloud}-, 
when  the  sky  is  overcast,  when  the  stream  is 
dry,  when  the  pitcher   is  broken  at  the   cistern, 


68  NKW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

and  every  bud,  blossom,  flower  and  leaf  is  seared 
and  frost-bitten,  then  the  sinner  must  follow 
Christ  and  strive  to  touch  the  hem  of  his  ofur- 
ment. 

All  must  come  nigh  to  him,  touch  the  hem 
of  his  garment,  and  exercise  faith  in  his  saving 
power.  None  are  required  to  have  the  faith  of 
Abraham,  the  ardor  of  Peter,  or  the  love  of 
John.  A  conviction  that  this  is  needed  is  one 
of  the  causes  of  men's  hesitation  in  coming  to 
Christ.  They  feel  that  without  this  their  faith 
is  not  genuine,  or  complete,  and  hence  conclude 
that  it  will  not  save  them.  Even  the  best  of 
Christians  are  often  tried  in  this  way.  Their 
ideal  perfection  is  a  faith  that  shall  alwaj^s  be  un- 
broken and  undarkened  by  the  slightest  shadow 
of  doubt.  But  the  reality  of  experience  does 
not  tally  with  this. 

"  Ma}^  there  not  be,"  sa3's  some  one,  "  an 
inner  heart  and  centre  of  true  trust,  with  a 
nebulous  environment  of  doubt,  through  which 
the  nucleus  shall  gradually  send  its  attractive 
and  consolidating  power,  and  turn  it  too  into 
firm  substance  ?  May  there  not  be  a  germ,  in- 
finitesimal, yet  with  a  real  life  throbbing  in  its 
microscopic  minuteness  and  destined  to  be  a 
great  tree  with  all  the  fowls  of  the  air  lodging 
in  its  branches  ?  May  there  not  be  hid  in  a 
heart  a  principle  of  action  which  is  obviously 
marked  out  for  supremfiC3%  though  it  has  not 
yet  risen  to   sovereign  power  and   manifestation 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  69 

in  either  the  inward  or  outward  being  ?  Where 
do  we  learn  that  faitli  must  be  complete  in 
order  to  be  genuine  ?  i .  may  begin  with  desir- 
ing the  blessing  rather  than  the  Christ.  It  must 
end  with  dosiring  him  more  than  all  besides, 
and  with  utterly  losing  self  in  his  infinite  love. 
Its  starting  point  may  well  be,  '  Save,  Lord,  or 
I  perish.'  Its  goal  must  be,  'I  live,  yet  not  I, 
but    Christ   liveth    in  me.' " 

There  is  no  faith  so  feeble  to  which  Christ 
fails  to  respond.  Tlie  most  ignorant,  self-regnrd- 
ing,  timid  trust  ma}^  unite  the  soul  to  the  world's 
Redeemer.  To  desire  under  these  circumstances 
is  to  have,  and  whosoever  will  may  take  of  the 
water  of  life  freel3\  If  you  but  cry  to  him, 
though  he  maj^  have  passed  by,  he  will  halt.  If 
you  come  trusting  yet  doubting,  he  will  forgive 
the  doubt,  and  confirm  the  trust.  If  you  come 
to  him  knowing  nothing  more  than  that  3'ou  are 
full  of  sin,  which  none  can  forgive  save  Christ, 
he  will  meet  you.  If  3-ou  put  out  a  tremulous 
hand  to  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment,  if  you 
sincerely  believe  that  he  has  healing  balm,  it 
will  be  according  to  your  faith. 

Notice,  lastly,  the  way  this  woman  w^as 
brought  to  a  full  knowledge  of  Christ.  From 
diffidence,  enfeebled  health,  or  shame  on  account 
of  her  malady,  she  expected  to  steal  away  from 
him  unnoticed,  as  she  hoped  she  had  come  to 
him.  But  she  was  forced  to  face  the  throno-inor 
multitude,  and  to  tell  her  sad  story.     This  gave 


70  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

her  courage.  In  a  moment  she  leaped  from 
timidity  to  boldness;  stretched  out  her  hand  a 
tremulous  invalid  ready  to  hide  in  any  corner 
in  order  to  escape  notice,  but  in  a  moment  after 
she  knelt  at  Jesus'  feet  and  confessed  him  before 
the  world  as  her  personal  Redeemer. 

You  who  are  really  saved  are  trying  perhaps 
to  keep  your  salvation  a  secret.  Against  all 
the  instincts  of  your  new  nature  3'ou  wish  to 
shut  up  the  fire  which  is  burning  in  your  spirit, 
to  seal  your  lips  in  silence,  and  to  trust  3'our 
love  to  concealment.  Let  the  question  put  to 
the  woman  in  the  text  arrest  your  attention. 
Come  back,  why  are  you  turning  away  ?  Christ 
has  done  his  part,  wh}^  will  you  not  do  yours  ? 
You  owe  your  soul  to  him  ;  why  do  you  not 
say  so  ?  You  have  not  been  ashamed  to  accept 
his  blessing ;  why  should  you  be  ashamed  to 
own  it  ?  It  is  a  dishonorable  thing  to  steal  it. 
It  is  not  worthy  of  your  manhood  to  accept  a 
benefit  and  refuse  to  give  credit  for  it  to  the 
benefactor. 

The  confession  of  Christ  not  only  imparted 
boldness  but  peace  also  to  the  timid  convert. 
She  came  trembling  at  his  word,  for  though 
cured,  her  mind  was  not  yet  at  rest;  because, 
though  she  had  exercised  faith,  she  had  not  as 
yet  openly  called  upon  his  name.  Faith  secured 
the  cure,  profession  of  faith  was  to  bring  the 
rest.  She  knew  that  it  was  not  right  to  carry 
off   the   bless  in  or   in  a  furtive  manner.     She  was 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  71 

not  satisfied  with  herself,  her  soul  was  not  at 
rest,  her  conscience  made  her  tremble  at  the 
Saviour's  voice.  13 at  when  she  acknowledged 
the  mercy  by  open  praise,  he  said  unto  her, 
"  Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort,  go  in  peace." 
He  had  withheld  the  expected  peace  to  this 
moment  because  until  now  she  had  not  done  his 
will ;  he  had  withheld  it  until  now,  because  she 
had  not  exercised  a  full  faith  in  his  word.  In 
the  act  of  professing  Christ,  however,  her  faith 
was  strensjthened.  It  forthwith  rose  to  a  lii2:her 
point  than  it  had  ever  reached  before  and 
henceforth  trusted  Christ  not  only  as  the  Healer 
of  her  body,  but  also  as  the  Saviour  of  her 
soul. 


Chapter  v. 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  A  DISREPUTABLE 

VILLAGER-THE  WOMAN  OF 

SAMARIA. 


John  iv.  13-15:  "Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water  shall 
thirst  again  :  but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  liim  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  M'ater  that  I  shall  ^ive 
him  shall  be  iu  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlast- 
ing life." 

IN  this  chapter  is  found  a  fine  photograph  set- 
ting forth  with  astonishing  accuracy  every 
particular  of  the  scene  at  Sychar.  In 
style  and  finish,  if  not  in  minuteness  of  de- 
tail, it  stands  almost  alone.  "  It  is  not,"  says 
one  commentator,  "  a  monument  composed  of 
an  aggregate  of  stones,  but,  like  the  patriarch's 
pillar  at  Bethel,  a  glorious  monolith — its  hiero- 
glyphics the  riches  of  redeeming  love  and 
mercy."  It  is  a  master  exhibition  of  Christ's 
condescension   and   readiness   to    forgive. 

The  subject  suggested  by  it  is  the  Conversion 
of  a  Disreputable  Villager — the  Woman  of 
Samaria. 

73 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  73 

Notice,  first,  the  place  of  her  abode.  This 
is  called  Shechern,  Sychar,  or  in  modern  times, 
Nablous.  It  was  not  an  inviting  place.  Though 
associated  in  early  times  with  the  pitching  of 
Abraham's  tent;  with  the  purchase  of  a  burying 
place  by  Jacob;  with  the  reading  of  the  curses 
and  the  blessings  by  the  Levites,  and  with  the 
resting  place  of  Joseph's  bones,  yet  it  had  by 
this  time  acquired  an  unenviable  reputation.  It 
was  one  of  the  cities  which  belonged  to  Jero- 
boam, the  son  of  Nebat,  who  made  Israel  to  sin. 
Its  name  had  been  changed  to  Sychar,  meaning 
drunken  or  foolish,  on  account  of  the  wicked- 
ness of  its  citizens.  Jesus  afterwards  forbade 
his  disciples  to  go  to  any  of  the  cities  of  the 
Samaritans.  Nevertheless,  he  went  there  now 
himself;  thus  rising  above  dispensational  bar- 
riers and  overstepping  the  limitations  of  his 
mission,  in  order  to  take  pity  on  one  of  that 
lost  race. 

From  among  the  vicious  of  this  place  the 
Saviour  had  resolved  to  gather  some  trophies 
of  redeeming  grace.  He  concluded  that  he  must 
show  even  there  the  omnipotence  of  that  love 
which  was  to  change  the  lion  into  a  lamb,  the 
outcast  into  a  child,  and  the  alien  into  an  heir. 
He  must  i)lant  some  trees  of  righteousness  at 
the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Curses,  and  preserve 
a  remnant  of  the  God-forsaken  Samaritans.  Ja- 
cob's well  must  send  forth  richer  blessings  than 
the  water  it  furnished  the  Shechemites. 


74  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

Notice,  secondly,  Christ's  meeting  a  disrepu- 
table woman  of  the  place.  These  two  persons 
form  almost  the  sole  actors  in  this  memorable 
scene.  They  were  as  different  from  each  other 
as  light  and  darkness,  and  3'^et  fellowship 
sprang  up  between  them.  They  were  as  far  from 
each  other  morally  and  spiritually  as  the  poles  of 
the  earth,  and  yet  they  were  brought  together  by 
a  mysterious  spiritual  power.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  two  antagonistic  nations,  and  yet  their 
national  prejudices  now  melted  like  snowflakes 
in  the  midday  sun.  They  were  devotees  of 
rival  religions,  and  3^et  the  worst  rivalry  yielded 
at  this  time  to  peace  and  concord. 

The  more  conspicuous  of  the  two  of  course  is 
the  weary  stranger,  who  sat  on  Jacob's  well. 
Here  you  catch  a  full  view  of  the  Saviour's 
humanitj'.  You  can  see  the  dust  of  the  road, 
clinging  to  his  sandals,  and  the  large  beads  of 
sweat  standing  on  his  brow.  You  can  read 
weariness  in  his  limbs  and  heaviness  in  his  eyes. 
You  can  feel  that  that  hungry  and  thirsty  one, 
who  flings  himself  on  the  grass  or  sits  on  the 
masonry  beside  the  well,  is  bone  of  your  bone 
and    flesh    of  your   flesh. 

There  is  a  world  of  comfort  in  all  this. 
Christ  could  have  called  the  ravens  to  bring 
him  food,  and  the  clouds  to  distil  of  their  con- 
tents to  quench  his  thirst.  lie  might  have 
turned  the  stones  of  the  valley  into  bread,  and 
opened  fountains   of  water   on   the    rocky    sides 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSION'S.  75 

of  Ebal  and  Gerizim  ;  he  might  have  summoned 
angels  to  minister  to  his  wants,  but  he  preferred 
asking  a  poor  woman  of  S3'char  to  do  it.  He 
was  willing  to  put  himself  under  obligation  to 
one  who  was  despised  by  his  people  on  account 
of  her  birth,  life  and  religion.  Here  is  true 
humanity.  Kindness  and  heartfelt  sympathy 
lay  beneath  that  heaving  heart ;  tenderness  and 
love  were  shrouded  in  the  soul  of  that  weary 
man  ;  grace  and  mercy  were  blended  most  beau- 
tifully in  that  face  wrinkled  with  care. 

Our  Saviour  to-day  wears  in  glory  the  same 
human  form.  He  is  changed  as  to  his  out- 
ward appearance,  but  not  as  to  his  heart's  inner 
workings.  The  weary  pilgrim  who  cast  him- 
self on  the  well  at  Sychar  is  enthroned  amid 
his  redeemed  ones  in  heaven.  The  divine  Shep- 
herd who  is  to-da}'  leading  his  flocks  to  living 
fountains  is,  in  the  sympathies  of  his  glorified 
manhood,  the  same  Saviour  who  sat  on  Jacob's 
well.  When  the  cries  of  the  tried  and  tempted 
of  earth  reach  his  ears,  they  receive  the  loving 
response  of  a  human  heart. 

There  is  not  only  humanity,  but  humility 
displayed  in  this  incident.  Though  a  man,  wear^^ 
with  travel,  3'et  he  might  have  shared  the  feel- 
ing of  his  race  in  despising  a  Samaritan.  He 
might  have  given  her  a  shekel  of  silver  for  the 
cuj)  of  water,  and  thereby  put  her  under  obliga- 
tion to  him,  but  instead  of  that,  he  asked  of  her 
a  favor,  showing  thereby  that  he  did  not  despise 


76  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

her  on  account  of  her  poverty,  religions  con- 
nections, or  manner  of  life.  Tiiere  is  no  surer 
■way  of  putting  ourselves  on  equality  with  our 
fellow-men  than  by  asking  of  them  a  favor.  If 
we  would  touch  the  heart  of  the  humble  and 
cast  down,  if  we  would  win  the  confidence  and 
sympathies  of  the  lowly,  we  must  condescend 
to  ask  of  them  a  service.  Our  gifts  to  them 
lead  them  to  feel  the  distance  existing  between 
us,  but  their  gifts  to  us  cause  them  to  feel  that 
they  stand  on  the  common  level  of  humanity 
with  us. 

There  is  not  only  humanit}^  and  humility  but 
charity  here  displayed.  It  astonished  the  dis- 
sipated Samaritan.  "  How  is  it  that  thou,  be- 
ing a  Jew "  (his  dress,  tongue  and  appearance 
betraying  him);  "  askest  drink  of  me,  which 
am  a  woman  of  Samaria  ? "  Tlie  Jews  and  the 
Samaritans  had  been  for  ages  bitter  enemies. 
It,  therefore,  surprised  this  woman  to  find  a 
Jew  able  to  rise  above  the  prejudices  of  his  race. 
It  touched  her  heart,  and  gave  her  a  better  view 
of  life.  It  disposed  her  to  hearken  favorably 
to  what  the    stranger   had   to    say. 

During  this  interview,  Christ  rose  from  being 
a  son  of  Abraham  to  being  the  Son  of  the 
Highest.  In  the  offer  made  he  show^ed  himself 
greater  than  the  patriarchs.  "  Art  thou  greater 
than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  well  ?  " 
He  not  only  offered  her  living  water,  but  re- 
hearsed the  sad   story  of  her   life.     On   hearing 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  77 

this,  she  pronounced  him  a  prophet.  She  felt 
that  he  could  enter  into  the  concealed  depths  of 
the  heart,  and  reveal  its  hidden  iniquity'.  She 
■was  conscious  of  being  in  the  presence  of  an 
extraordinary  person.  At  this  juncture,  he 
says,  "  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a 
well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 
These  simple  words  are  full  of  divinity  I  They 
carry  us  up  to  heaven  I  What  effect  they  must 
have  produced  as  the}^  fell  fresh  from  the 
lips  of  Jesus  on  the  ears  of  the  poor  villager ! 
They  turned  her  reproving  questions  into  an 
humble  prayer:  "  Grive  me  this  water."  They 
changed  to  her  mind  the  weary  stranger  from  a 
prejudiced  Jew  to  an  object  of  religious  worship. 

The  other  person  in  this  picture  is  a  disrepu- 
table villager.  "  There  cometh  a  woman  of 
Samaria  to  draw  water."  She  is  one  of  the 
daughters  of  Sychar,  living  at  this  very  time  in 
adultery,  and  knowing  to  some  extent  its  sinful- 
ness. On  being  accused  of  it,  her  conduct 
showed  that  she  was  ill  at  ease.  She  showed 
that  she  had  been  sinning  against  the  dictates 
of  her  own   conscience. 

She  was  ignoritnt  as  well  as  dissolute.  Reli- 
gious things  had  not  occupied  much  of  her 
attention.  "The  living  water,"  "the  well  of 
living  water,"  "  the  water  springing  up  into 
everlasting   life,"    were    expressions    far   beyond 


78  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

her  comprehension.  To  her  they  were  like  the 
words  of  an  unknown  tongue.  She  could  think 
of  no  water  higher,  or  more  precious,  than  the 
contents  of  Jacob's  well.  There  was  over  her 
mind  and  heart  a  veil  of  ignorance  that  caused 
her  to  misinterpret  all  that  the  Saviour  had  said 
to  her.  She  stood  in  his  presence  a  living  em- 
bodiment of  Paul's  words :  "  The  natural  man 
receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God." 

She  was  not  only  dissolute  and  ignorant,  but 
immersed  in  the  cares  of  tliis  life.  She  hardly 
knew  what  it  was  to  look  heavenward.  The 
earthl}'  water-pot  and  the  well  of  S3'char ;  the 
duties  of  her  household  and  the  physical  wants 
of  her  family  so  filled  her  mind  that  she  had 
neither  room  nor  opportunity  for  anything  else. 
The  present  so  absorbed  her  thoughts  as  to 
exclude  altogether  the  future. 

Notice,  thirdly,  the  interview  which  took 
place  between  these  dissimilar  persons.  It 
would  be  natural  to  expect  from  Christ  some 
words  of  reproof,  heavy  accusations  or  solemn 
threats.  We  might  infer  that  his  words  under 
such  circumstances  would  be  deep  as  the  thun- 
der and  scathing  as  the  lightning,  but  lo  I  they 
fell  as  the  rain  and  distilled  as  the  dew.  He 
did  not  denounce  her  adultery,  though  of  course 
he  disapproved  of  it ;  he  did  not  find  fault  with 
her  ignorance,  though  he  deplored  its  existence ; 
he  said  nothing  concerning  worldliness,  though 
he   regretted  it,  but  simply  asked  her  for   some 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  79 

water  to  drink.  Here  we  find  sovereign  grace 
in  all  its  glor3%  He  first  spoke  to  the  sinner, 
and  not  the  sinner  to  him.  He  was  at  Sychar 
the  tender  shepherd,  who  went  after,  until  he 
found,  the  lost  sheep,  before  the  lost  sheep 
struggled  to  get  back  to  the  fold  or  to  seize  the 
shepherd.  He  begged,  besought  her,  as  though 
he  were  the  gainer. 

Christ  not  only  spoke  to  her  first,  but  he  did 
it  unexpectedly.  The  woman  had  no  expecta- 
tion of  meeting  the  world's  Saviour  at  Jacob's 
well.  She  as  usual  went  after  water  without 
looking  for  aught  beyond.  She  did  not  know 
that  her  name  was  written  in  the  Lamb's  book 
of  life,  and  that  therefore  it  was  needful  for 
the  Messiah  to  go  through  Samaria.  Even  after 
seeing  his  face  she  did  not  suppose  that  he 
would  speak  to  her.  And,  after  his  speaking, 
she  did  not  suspect  that  he  would  make  her 
at  once  an  heir  of  eternal  life. 

This  is  a  specimen  of  what  occurs  all  around 
us.  The  Saviour  comes  unexpectedly^  to  this 
and  that  one.  The  still,  small  voice  reaches 
the  heart  in  the  most  unaccountable  ^ay.  There 
goes  a  sick  soldier  to  a  stranger's  door  to  obtain 
permission  to  sleep  on  his  veranda.  He  is 
otfered  a  bed  in  the  house,  but  he  declines  it  on 
account  of  his  condition.  He  asks  leave  to  lie 
anywhere  under  the  shelter  of  the  dwelling  and 
it  was  granted.  A  little  girl  comes  out  to  see 
him  and  feels  a  deep  sympathy  for  his  condition. 


80  NEW  TESTAMENT   CON-VEKSIONS. 

She  offers  him  her  kind  ministry,  but  he  is  in 
no  need  of  it.  Foiled  in  this,  the  little  angel 
praj^s  for  hira  before  she  goes  to  bed,  and  the 
soldier  hears  the  words  :  "  Blessed  Jesus,  shel- 
ter the  poor  soldier  on  our  porch ;  may  he  love 
thee,  and  be  cleansed  in  thy  blood."  These 
words  sank  into  his  heart  and  awoke  new  re- 
flections. They  broke  his  slumbers  and  dis- 
turbed his  rest,  but  they  led  him  to  look  for  a 
nobler  rest.  Little  did  he  think,  when  he  ob- 
tained permission  to  lie  over  night  on  the  piazza, 
that  Jesus  would  speak  to  him  through  the 
window    from   the   mouth  of  a    babe. 

Christ  not  only  spoke  first,  and  unexpectedly, 
but  convincingly.  He  clearly  showed  his  divine 
skill  and  tenderness.  He  dealt  with  Nicodemus 
— a  man  carefully  reared  and  versed  in  all  of 
life's  proprieties — gently  and  delicately.  He 
dealt  kindly  with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  but 
with  her  dissolute  life,  ignorance,  and  blunted 
feelings  he  knew  that  there  were  no  scruples  to 
consult.  She  needed  the  piercing  blast  of  the 
north  wind,  bringing  with  it  sharp  convictions  of 
sin,  and  hence  he  resorted  to  that  kind  of  means. 
He  hurled  the  barbed  arrows  of  truth  through 
the  thick  folds  of  guilt  and  pollution  covering 
her  heart,  and  turned  the  full  blaze  of  the  eternal 
throne  upon  her  darkened  understanding,  until 
she  lay  bleeding  at  his  feet.  "  Go,  call  thy  hus- 
band." Here  was  a  sharp  thrust  at  her  con- 
science.    "  I    have    no    husband."     "  True,"    re- 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  81 

sponded  the  Searcher  of  hearts,  ''  thou  hast 
had  five  husbands;  and  he  whom  thou  now 
hast  is  not  thy  husband."  This  went  deep, 
and  called  up  memories  of  past  iniquities. 
It  opened  that  desolate  soul  to  her  own 
severe  inspection.  It  gave  her  a  clear  view 
of  the  world  of  sin  wrapped  up  within.  It 
brousjht  her  to  a  full  consciousness  of  what  she 
was  in  God's  sight.  It  proved  to  her  the  harbin- 
ger of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  which  dispersed 
the  clouds  that  had  thus  fixr  obstructed  her 
vision,  and  enabled  her  to  rejoice  in  the  truth 
she   had   as   yet   but   dimly    seen. 

Christ  spoke  to  her  savingl3^  This  was  his 
aim  in  the  whole  interview.  It  would  be  inter- 
esting to  trace  the  successive  steps  leading  to 
this  culmination.  They  resemble  those  which 
she  took  from  her  bleak  home  to  Jacob's  well. 
Each  brought  her  nearer  and  nearer,  until  she 
finally  reached  the  water.  Every  word  and  ques- 
tion of  the  Saviour  led  to  the  living  water. 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her :  "  Whosoever 
drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again :  but 
whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I 
shall  2:1  ve  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life."  Under  this 
simple  figure  was  disclosed  to  her  the  great 
plan  of  salvation  which  instantly  rose  before 
her  in  its  source,  progress  and  results. 

Its  source  is  more  than  hinted  at.     It  is  not 


82  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

good  works,  it  is  not  perfect  obedience.  It 
does  not  spring  out  of  the  earth ;  it  flows  not 
from  the  rock,  it  distils  not  from  the  clouds.  It 
is  the  gift  of  God:  "The  water  that  /  shall 
give."  It  comes  from  the  Saviour's  heart.  It 
flows  down  from  the  eternal  hills. 

Salvation  is  not  only  of  God,  but  in  the  sin- 
ner's heart.  It  is  not  an  outward  robe  which  the 
storms  of  winter  may  tear  away,  nor  a  detached 
object  which  human  means  may  remove ;  but  a 
spiritual  life — a  hidden  life.  "  The  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  be  iii  him."  It  is  "  Christ 
in  the  soul  the  hope  of  glory."  The  spring 
whence  the  river  flows  is  below  ground.  The 
stream  is  visible,  rising  and  flowing,  winding 
and  reflecting  the  sun's  ra3^s,  but  no  eye  can 
detect  the  source.  The  Christian  is  unseen. 
His  life   is    hid    with    Christ  in    God. 

This  salvation  which  is  of  God  and  in  the 
heart  is  largely  independent  of  outward  influ- 
ences. It  is  wholly  so  in  its  perpetuity.  No 
external  agent  can  destroy  it.  But  its  outward 
manifestation  and  fullness  may  be  somewhat 
dependent  on  worldly  influences.  But  even 
these  cannot  be  wholly  destroyed.  Summer's 
drought  cannot  dry  them  and  winter's  frost  can- 
not bind  them.  "  The  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water."  There  is 
joy  often  within  when  the  outgoings  are  dark 
and  threatening.  The  spiritual  stream  frequently 
flows  freshest  when  that  of  earth  is  dried  up. 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  83 

This  siilvjition  is  beyond  all  price.  It  is 
more  precious  than  gold — even  the  gold  of  Ophir. 
"  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  never  thirst."  What  a  contrast 
between  this  and  all  other  means  used  to  slake 
the  soul's  thirst!  The  inscription  wiitten  by 
our  Lord  on  the  well  of  Sychar  may  be  writ- 
ten on  all  the  wells  of  this  w^orld.  "  Whosoever 
drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again."  Let 
a  man  drink  ever  so  deeply  of  the  sparkling 
brooks  of  worldly  pleasure,  and  he  will  thirst 
again.  Let  him  quaff  to  his  heart's  content  of 
the  turbulent  waters  of  self-indulgence  and  he 
will  thirst  again.  Let  him  sip  ever  so  freely  of 
the  stream  of  power,  and  he  will  thirst  again. 
Let  him  catch  the  golden  tides  of  wealth  and 
he  will  thirst  again.  But  the  water  that  Christ 
shall  give  him  "  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 

Alas,  that  so  many  in  Christian  lands  should 
eagerly  pant  after  the  painted  glories  of  this 
unsatisf3'ing  world  I  Alas,  that  so  many  should 
drink  of  these  earthly  streams,  when  the  living 
water  is  so  full,  so  fresh,  so  free  I  For  what, 
within  a  few  brief  3''ears,  will  it  all  come  to?  A 
death-bed  without  hope,  an  eternity  unprovided 
for,  a  corpse,  a  shroud,  a  grave  I  All  that  the 
world  can  give,  apart  from  Christ,  cannot  satisfy 
the  soul. 

Notice,  lastly,  some  of  the  results  of  Christ's 
interview  with  the  woman  of  Samaria.     It  con- 


8-i  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

vinced  her  of  the  worthlessness  of  her  own 
faith.  This  was  for  her  a  sober  matter.  It  is  a 
solemn  thing  for  a  soul  to  be  stripped  at  once 
of  its  shelter,  its  carefully  constructed  defenses, 
and  its  strong  tower!  It  is  pitiable  to  see  one 
who  has  been  at  ease  exposed  suddenly  to  the 
stormy  blast  and  made  to  shiver  in  the  wintry 
cold.  The  woman  of  Samaria  was,  in  her  way, 
religious.  She  was  able  to  point  to  the  moun- 
tain side  on  which  her  forefathers  had  wor- 
shiped for  centuries.  Siie  knew  considerable 
about  the  Messiah,  and  looked,  in  her  way,  for 
his  coming.  To  some  extent  she  was  acquainted 
with  his  character.  She  had  some  knowledge  of 
God  and  of  the  principles  of  morality.  She  had 
been  an  observer  of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Samaritan  religion.  She  thought  that  she 
had  enough  to  shelter  her  in  the  day  of  storm 
and  judgment.  But,  lo !  all  these  were  swept 
awa}^  by  a  single  sentence  of  the  great  Prophet : 
"Ye  worship  ye  know  not  what."  What  you 
inhabitants  of  Sychar  take  to  be  religion  is  no 
religion  at  all.  The  props  on  which  you  now 
lean  will  presently  let  you  fall.  The  refuge  into 
which  you  have  fled  is  a  refuge  of  lies.  There 
is  no  genuine  worship  as  long  as  the  soul  re- 
mains unrenewed  by  grace,  and  as  long  as  the 
love  of  Christ  is  not  shed  abroad  in  the  heart. 
She  was  not  only  convinced  of  the  worthless- 
ness of  her  religious  duties,  but  taught  the  true 
way  to  worship    God  :  "  They  that   worship   him 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  85 

must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  No 
elaborate  ritual  is  demanded.  No  sacred  place  is 
needed  to  make  it  effectual.  No  carefull}'  arranged 
words  are  called  for.  Two  things  only  enter  into 
it,  A'iz.,  a  spiritual  and  holy  God  revealed  as  a 
loving  Father,  and  an  humble,  trusting  soul 
looking  up  to  him  with  reverence  and  faith. 

The  last  result  of  the  interview  at  Jacob's 
well  was  to  turn  a  wicked  woman  into  a  noble 
missionary  who  should  carry  glad  tidings  to  her 
fellow-citizens.  The  woman  left  her  water-pot 
and  went  her  wa}'  into  the  cit}^  and  said  to  the 
men,  "  Come,  see  a  man  which  told  me  all  things 
that  ever  I  did:  is  not  this  the  Christ?"  In 
her  abounding  joy  she  forgot  her  errand  at 
the  well.  She  ran  back  to  the  city  without  her 
pitcher,  to  tell  her  relatives  and  friends  of  the 
living  water.  She  left  Sychar  a  wretched  sinner, 
and  returned  a  rejoicing  saint.  In  a  moment  a 
fountain  was  opened  in  her  stony  heart,  that 
was  not  only  to  bubble  up,  but  to  flow  over. 
Not  only  her  own  powers  were  refreshed,  but 
the  waste  places  around  her  home.  Her  soul 
w^as  not  hereafter  to  be  a  stagnant  pool,  but  a 
sparkling  spring  discharging  everywhere  its  liv- 
ing water  to  cause  the  God-forsaken  town  and 
the  blighted  valley  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 

The  grace  which  was  so  full  and  free  at  Jacob's 
well  is  still  full  and  free.  The  Spirit  and  the 
Bride  still  say,  Come.  The  water  of  life  is  still 
freely  given. 


Chapter  vi. 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    ONE    OUTSIDE    THE 

CHOSEN     PEOPLE-THE    SYRO- 

PHCBNICIAN  WOMAN. 


Matt.  XV.  28 :  "  O,  woman,  great  is  thy  faith  :  be  it  unto  thee 
even  as  thou  wilt." 


THIS  is  one  of  the  most  touching  incidents 
in  the  life  of  our  Lord.  He  was  once 
prompted  to  overstep  the  boundary  of  his 
own  country',  not  to  teach  nor  to  heal,  but  to 
seek  a  little  rest  in  a  quiet  region  overlooking 
the  old  cities  of  Phoenicia.  We  read  that  "  he 
rose  and  went  into  the  borders  of  Tjre  and 
Sidon."  This  is  a  tract  of  country  lying  be- 
tween the  Tyrian  Ladder,  or  the  ridge  of  rocks 
north  of  the  bay  of  Acre,  and  the  foot  of  Leba- 
non. The  precise  spot  to  which  he  resorted  was 
the  ancient  town  of  Sarepta,  on  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean.  Here  he  hoped  to  escape  notice, 
and  spend  a  short  time  unrecognized  by  its 
inhabitants.  But  he  failed  in  this.  Just  as 
soon   could  the  sun    find  a  place   in   the   heaven 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  87 

whore  lie  might  pause  and  rest,  as  Christ  could 
find  a  hiding  place  in  any  land.  Whither  could 
the  Friend  of  sinners  go  without  being  fol- 
lowed by  the  poor  and  needy  claiming  his  friend- 
ship and  waiting  for  his  blessings  ?  Whith- 
er could  the  great  Physician  go  without  en- 
countering sufferers  ready  to  appeal  to  his  loving 
and  compassionate  heart  ?  His  fame  had  been 
noised  abroad,  and  his  works  of  mercy  had 
become  known  to  all  the  people  of  these  regions. 
"Behold,  a  woman  of  Canaan  came  out  of  the 
same  coasts,  and  cried  unto  him,  saying.  Have 
mercy  on  me,  0  Lord,  thou  son  of  David !  " 
Her  nalionality  is  here  given  for  an  important 
purpose.  She  was  not  one  of  the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel,  but  a  descendant  of  those 
corrupt  tribes  whom  the  chosen  people  were 
to  exterminate.  She  was  a  child  of  that 
doomed  race  in  whose  room  the  descendants 
of  Abraham  had  been  planted.  She  was  a 
woman  of  Phoenicia  not  onl}^  in  its  Canaan- 
itish  but  S^'rian  sense — that  Syria  which  had 
not  onh^  so  often,  in  its  limited  acceptation, 
been  the  foe  of  Israel,  and  consequent!}^  bears 
in  Isaiah's  prophecies  the  burden  of  Damascus, 
but  which  three  hundred  years  before  Christ's 
advent  had  merged  in  itself  as  one  empire,  the 
old  glories  of  Assyria — the  Assyria  of  Shalma- 
neser,  Sennacherib  and  Nebuchadnezzar — and 
which  thus  involved  in  its  associations  and  con- 
nections the  whole  body  of  the  Uastern  enemies 


88  NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

of  the  Jewish  people.  She  is  farther  called  "  a 
Greek,"  and  \^ery  properly,  for  all  this  region  was 
subdued  by  Alexander  the  Great,  and  continued 
until  after  her  day  to  be  regarded  as  a  Greek 
colony.  She  had  doubtless  fallen  into  the  de- 
generacy and  idolatry  of  her  fellow-citizens. 
Hence,  by  birth,  by  pedigree  and  by  religion, 
this   woman   was    a    Canaanitish    Gentile. 

She  had  somehow  heard  of  Christ's  grace 
and  j)Ower,  and  was  determined  to  try  both. 
''  Humble,  penitent  and  believing,"  sa3's  Archer 
Butler,  "  she  came  from  the  long  slaverj^  of  her 
idols.  She  spoke  for  one  whom  she  had  left  at 
home,  and  spoke  as  only  a  mother  could.  Her 
words  were  few — she  strove  not  to  be  heard  for 
her  much  speaking,  but  quantity  was  compen- 
sated by  intensity  of  feeling  and  truth  of  con- 
viction. Tears  and  cries,  not  words  and  periods, 
were  intended  for  him  who  hears  not  with 
human  ears  ;  who  regards  not  the  tongue,  but 
listens  to  the  beating  of  the  heart !  Her  words 
were  few,  but  what  a  body  of  theology  they 
contain !  She  cried  unto  him,  saying,  '  Have 
mercy  on  me,  0  Lord,  thou  son  of  David ! ' 
'  Merc}^,'  for  ever}^  thought  and  purpose  of  thy 
heart  is  compassion  ;  '  mercy,*  for  art  thou  not 
the  long-expected  Messiah,  at  once  the  Lord 
of  all  and  the  Son  of  David,  true  God  and  true 
Israelite  ?  " 

Most  unexpected  barriers  here  rise  mountain 
high.     She   has    found    the    right    person,   "  Son 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  89 

of  David."  She  addresses  him  bv  that  name, 
but  he  retires  mysterionsly  behind  those  lofty 
Jewish  barriers  which  conceal  him  from  the 
view  of  a  ^oor  Canaanite.  Reappears  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  circumcision  for  the  truth  of  God, 
to  confirm  the  promise  made  unto  the  fathers. 
Not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  those  promises  could 
ever  fail  in  the  hands  of  such  a  fjiithful  and  au- 
gust minister;  and  therefore,  unless  the  Syro- 
Phcjenician  could  view  him  in  a  higher  character 
than  as  a  minister  of  the  circumcision,  he  must 
maintain  strict  silence.  "  He  answered  her  not 
a  word."  What  a  damper  to  her  warm  heart  I 
What  a  blight  of  her  fond  hopes !  She  had 
poured  out  words  of  the  tenderest  pathos  on 
the  cars  supposed  to  be  alwa3's  open  to  the  cry 
of  distress  ;  she  had  pleaded  with  all  the  earnest- 
ness of  a  mother  with  one  who  had  been  called 
the  Friend  of  sinners ;  and  she  had  cast  her 
tearful  eyes  on  his  benevolent  face  in  hope  of 
a  gracious  response,  but  he  had  no  answer  for  a 
Canaanite.  He  must  stand  for  the  truth  of  God 
and  confirm  the  promise  made  unto  the  fathers. 
With  these  promises  she  had  nothing  to  do. 
He  could  not  help  a  Gentile  at  the  expense  of 
the    seed    of  Abraham. 

An  ordinary  seeker  might  give  up  his  effort 
before  this  first  barrier.  But  not  this  Canaan- 
itish  woman.  Her  faith  was  not  to  be  foiled. 
She  became  somehow  convinced  that  there  was 
a  rich  blessing   in    the    heart   of  Jesus    for   her, 


90  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

and  she  was  bound  to  have  it.  She  had  set  out 
to  touch  his  loving,  tender  heart,  and  she  would 
not  be  put  off.  The  dispensational  barriers 
might  be  lofty,  but  that  made  no  difference  to 
her.  They  might  be  immovable,  but  it  was  all 
the  same  to  her.  She  knew  nothing  about  his 
covenant  regulations  with  his  own  people.  She 
was  not  supposed  to  know.  All  she  thought  of 
was  his  blessed  character  and  tender  heart.  She 
had  heard  that  he  was  mighty  to  save,  and 
hence  felt  that,  though  he  might  not  be  able  to 
7^emove  the  barriers,  he  could  rise  above  them. 
Just  here  the  light  of  hope  began  to  break  upon 
her  soul — though  the  glories  of  the  Son  of 
David  could  only  shine  within  the  boundaries 
of  Jewry,  the  glories  of  the  Son  of  God  could 
shed  their  bright  beams  over  all  the  earth.  The 
Plenipotentiary  of  heaven  could  perhaps,  if  he 
would,  transcend  his  commission.  He  cannot 
be  bound  by  laws,  when  he  himself  is  the  Law- 
giver. 

The  simple  fact  that  he  had  all  power  in 
heaven  and  on  earth  was  not  wholly  satisfactory-, 
however,  because  the  same  power  that  had  made 
Carmel  to  blossom  had  left  Sinai  a  desert.  He 
had  said,  "  I  will  have  mercy  on  whom  I  will 
have  mercy."  "  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the  chil- 
dren's broad,  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs."  At  this 
very  point,  seemingly  the  darkest  and  the  most 
discournging  in  her  search  after  Christ's  mercy, 
her  faith    takes  a   bold    and   loft}^    flight.     "  She 


NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  91 

springs,"  says  the  writer  alread}'  quoted,  "  from 
Christ's  supreme  control  and  infinite  power  to 
the  benevolent  equity  of  Providence.  She  rises 
above  the  clouds  of  divine  power  which  seem  to 
us,  w^ho  can  only  see  from  below,  dark^  disturbed^ 
stormy^  into  the  holy  serenit}^  beyond  them. 
She  sees  the  calm  Sovereign  of  the  universe 
partial,  yet  impartial  too,  preferring  some,  yet 
forgetting  none.  She  knows  that  his  care  is 
ovor  all  his  works,  and,  deepest  wonder  of  her 
heaven-sent  enlightenment !  she  can  see  that  he 
loves  her,  and  yet  accords  his  unquestionable 
right  to  love,  if  he  please,  others  more  ;  allows 
she  can  ask  but  little,  yet  believingly  dares  to 
pronounce  that  little  certain  I  She  will  permit 
no  mystery  of  dispensation  to  contradict  the 
truth  of  the  divine  character.  '  Truth,  Lord,' 
is  her  retort,  for  the  calmness  of  her  settled  con- 
victions left  her  power  to  point  her  reply : 
'  Truth,  Lord  :  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs 
which  fall  from  their  masters'  table.'  Every- 
thins:  is  here.  All  Christianity  is  concentrated 
in  one  happ}'  sentence.  She  believes  in  her  own 
lowliness ;  she  believes  in  God's  absolute  su- 
premacy; she  believes  in  the  secret  propriety 
of  the  apparent  inequalities  of  his  providence ; 
she  believes  that  those  inequalities  can  never 
affect   the   true   universality  of  his  love." 

What  a  lesson  is  here  taught  those  who  stum- 
ble at  God's  plans  and  purposes  I  It  is  fre- 
quently said  that  if  men  are  elected  to  be  saved, 


92  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

tboy  will  he  saved,  do  what  they  Tvill.  This 
is  their  sheet  anchor,  their  stronghold.  There 
is  in  this  an  appearance  of  respect  for  the  di- 
vine power.  They  see  no  use  in  attempting 
anything  themselves  ;  for  if  they  are  not  of  the 
elect,  it  all  will  be  in  vain.  The  conduct  of 
the  poor  idolater  in  the  text  is  a  standing  re- 
buke to  this  class.  She  knew  that  she  was  not 
one  of  God's  chosen  people,  and  understood  the 
necessary  limitations  of  Christ's  mission,  but  she 
did  not  on  that  account  give  up  her  search. 
She  persevered  until  she  secured  the  blessing. 
She  was  determined  to  reach  the  Saviour's  heart 
if  she  had  to  pass  through  iron  gates,  or  rocky 
barriers,  and    she   succeeded. 

Some  are  making  barriers  of  their  own,  and 
putting  impediments  in  the  wa}^  to  heaven.  They 
are  assured  of  the  infinite  love  of  God,  they 
have  heard  Christ's  gracious  invitations,  they 
are  entitled  to  all  the  promises  of  Scripture — 
for  the}'  are  to  every  one  that  heareth,  To  all 
that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden — to  whosoever 
will.  Let  all  take  these  promises  to  the  throne, 
and  tell  the  Promiser  that  they  understand 
them  to  include  them^  and  he  will  not  cast  them 
awa}'.  It  is  an  encouraging  fact  that  the  same 
Bible  which  teaches  God's  sovereignty,  teaches 
also  man's  free  agenC3^  The  same  Bible  which 
says,  "  Whom  God  foreknew,  them  he  also  pre- 
destinated to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his 
Son,"  also  says,  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take 


NEW   TESTAMENT   C0NVERSI0N3,  98 

of  the  water  of  lift  freely."  Pr^  ing  into  the  pro- 
found mysteries  of  God  ma}^  do  as  much  injury 
as  gazing  upon  the  sun  did  the  mole,  whose  or- 
gans of  vision  could  not  bear  the  splendor  of  the 
orb  of  day.  Let  us  not  perplex  ourselves  then, 
with  those  things  which  are  too  deep  for  us  to 
fathom,  but  let  us  bless  God  that,  according  to 
the  Scriptures,  "  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,"  even  the 
chief. 

The  second  barrier  which  rose  between  the 
Canaanitish  mother  and  the  Saviour's  blessing, 
was  his  apparent  indifference  to  her  pra3'er.  It 
was  discouraging  enough  to  feel  that  she  was,  by 
reason  of  her  birth  and  religion,  outside  the 
covenant  blessings  of  the  chosen  people.  But 
to  be  treated  with  absolute  iiidijference  by  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  was  all  but  overwhelming. 
He  might  have  uttered  a  word  of  pity  !  He 
might  have  expressed  some  tender  regret  at  her 
hopeless  condition  !  But  he  uttered  not  a  word  1 
In  no  other  case  is  found  similar  coldness  on 
the  part  of  the  tender  Saviour;  nor  are  we  in- 
formed of  the  cause  of  it. 

The  disciples  noticed  it  with  amazement. 
Their  Master  never  acted  so  before — he  had 
never  treated  another  as  he  had  this  poor  Ca- 
nannite.  Their  hearts  were  greath^  moved.  They 
a'^ked  him  to  grant  her  request  and  let  her  go. 
It   was   a  rare    thing    in   the    life    of   Christ    to 


94  NEW   TESTAMENT   COX  VERSIONS. 

seem  less  tender  toward  the  afflicted  than  his 
disciples,  and  to  need  to  be  importuned  by  them 
to  a  deed  of  charit^^  "  But  all  is  rare  here,"  as 
one  commentator  remarks ;  "  rare  his  silence, 
rare  their  entreat}^,  and  rare  too  the  next  step, 
or   stage,   of  the   incident." 

Two  reasons  for  this  strange  conduct  of  Christ 
suggest  themselves.  First,  he  may  have  desired 
to  test  the  feelings  of  his  disciples,  who,  in  the 
narrow  spirit  of  Judaic  exclusiveness,  might  have 
been  unprepared  to  see  him  grant  his  blessings, 
not  onl}'  to  a  Gentile,  but  to  a  Canaanite,  a  de- 
scendant of  a  condemned  race.  It  was  true  that 
he  had  healed  the  servant  of  the  Centurion,  but 
he  w^as  probably  a  Roman,  certainly-  a  bene- 
factor to  the  Jews,  if  not  a  proselyte  of  the 
gate.  But  it  is  more  likely  in  the  second 
place  that,  knowing  what  would  follow,  he 
ma}^  have  desired  to  test  yet  further  the  woman's 
faith,  both  that  he  might  crown  it  with  a  more 
glorious  reward,  and  that  she  might  learn  some- 
thing profounder  respecting  him  than  the  mere 
Jewish  title  which  she  may  have  accidentally 
heard. 

At  this  juncture  she  came  "and  worshiped 
him,  saying,  Lord,  help  me."  Her  faith  once 
more  proved  equal  to  the  test.  It  enabled  her 
to  put  herself  in  the  divine  presence  as  one 
simply  needing  heJp^  and  no  one  can  ever  do 
this  in  vain !  Oh  I  the  depth,  the  power,  and 
the   fullness  of  her    short   prayer,    "  Lord,    help 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  95 

mel"  It  consists  of  only  three  words — three 
short  ones.  They  form  a  chain  with  three  links 
— orolden  links.  The  "  Lord  "  is  put  at  one  end 
and  "  me"  on  the  other,  and  "  help  "  is  placed 
as  a  blessed  link  between !  Nothing  can  be 
simpler.  The  moment  faith  forms  this  kind  of 
chain  all  is  fixed.  The  little  word  ''help''' 
contains  everything  that  the  soul  can  need 
here  or  hereafter. 

Man}^  feel  discouraged  yet  at  Christ's  silence 
to  their  importunate  prayers.  They  have  been 
praying  for  themselves,  and  for  their  friends, 
but  he  has  not  given  the  slightest  response. 
On  this  account  they  are  perplexed,  perhaps 
cast  down.  "  Forty  j^ears,"  said  one,  "  have  I 
been  pleading  before  the  throne,  and  no 
answer  has  3-et  come.  I  am  ready  to  give 
up."  and  she  gave  up;  then  the  reply  came. 
Under  the  conviction  of  sin  men  sometimes  pray, 
and  ask  for  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  God's 
people,  while  they  persistently  refuse  to  believe 
in  Christ.  What  is  it  they  pray  for  ?  What 
is  it  they  really  want?  What  is  it  they  would 
have  God  do  for  them  ?  The  gushing  foun- 
tain is  open  and  accessible  at  their  feet  I 
What  are  they  doing  ?  Drinking  ?  No,  but 
praying  God  to  quench  their  thirst  I  The}^  turn 
to  the  passing  traveler  and  ask  him  to  pray 
that  God  may  take  away  this  feverishness  in 
their  soul.  What  saith  the  Spirit?  "Come 
and   take    of    the    water    of    life."      You     may 


96  NEW  testame:!^t  conversions. 

have  read  that  story  of  a  ship's  crew  dying  of 
thirst  on  the  coast  of  South  America.  When  a 
vessel  came  in  sight,  they  hailed  her  and  asked 
for  water  •  to  quench  their  thirst.  "  We  are 
dying,"  they  cried,  "  for  the  want  of  water." 
"  Why,"  replied  the  sailors  of  the  hailed  ship, 
"  you  are  in  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  you  are 
in  fresh  water  ;  why  do  you  not  cast  your  buck- 
ets and  help  yourselves'"  I  sa}^  to  3^ou,  who 
may  have  prayed  long  and  earnestly  for  the 
waters  of  life,  that  they  are  all  around  3'ou; 
draw  from  the  wells  of  salvation ;  drink  and 
live. 

The  third  barrier  which  stood  in  the  way 
of  this  poor  woman  was  her  personal  unw^orthi- 
ness.  She  felt  that  she  belonged  to  a  cast-off 
race.  She  acknowledged  that  she  was  a  Gentile. 
She  had  not  concealed  from  Christ  her  past 
idolatry.  Nevertheless  slie  was  not  prepared 
for  the  last  and  most  trying  repulse.  It  was 
bad  enough  to  be  told  that  she  lay  without  the 
limits  of  Christ's  commission  ;  it  was  discoura- 
ging to  have  her  warm  entreaties  cooled  by 
a  painful  silence,  but  worse  than  all  was  the 
designation  given  her  by  the  Saviour,  namely, 
a  dog.  "  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's 
bread,  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs."  Here,  you  saj^, 
her  faith  must  fail  her.  But  wait  I  Will  it 
grow  strong  enough  for  this  emergency  ?  Will 
it  bear  the  heat  of  this  scorching  crucible  ?  The 
Saviour  knows  with  whom  he  is  dealing.     He  is 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  97 

leading  this  Gentile  mother  to  a  point  from 
which  she  can  get  a  view  of  him  which  will 
satisfy  eveiy    longing    of    her   soul. 

How  completely  is  this  at  last  effected !  She 
accepts  the  distinction  made  b}^  Christ  between 
the  children  and  the  dogs.  She  readily  admits 
that  in  the  same  household  there  are  the  chil- 
dren of  the  family  ;  there  are  also  the  dogs,  and 
that  it  is  right  they  should  be  fed  at  different 
times  and  on  different  viands.  In  the  great 
human  household  differences  of  a  like  kind 
exist;  there  are  the  favored  sons  of  Abraham; 
and  there  are  the  outcast  children  of  Ham  and 
Japheth.  "  She  neither  disputes  the  fact," 
says  Dr.  Hanna,  "  nor  quarrels  with  those  ar- 
rangements of  Providence  under  which  a  dif- 
ferent treatment  had  been  given  to  them  ;  she 
takes  the  lowly  place  that  Christ  has  given  her 
among  the  outcast  tribes — among  the  dogs  I 
But  have  not  the  dogs  and  the  children  all  one 
master?  Do  they  not  dwell  under  one  roof? 
May  not  even  the  dogs  expect  some  little  kind- 
ness at  their  master's  hands?  The  finest  and 
the  choicest  of  the  food  should  be  given  to  the 
children,  but  are  there  no  fragments  for  the 
dogs?  'Truth,  Lord,'  she  cries,  venturing  in 
the  boldness  of  her  ardent  faith  to  take  up  the 
image  that  Christ  had  suggested,  and  to  con- 
struct out  of  it  an  argument,  as  it  were,  against 
himself:  'Truth,  Lord:  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the 
crumbs    which    full    from    their   masters'    table.' 


98  "NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

"'Truth,  Lord,  but  thou  art  the  Master;  and 
there  dwells  in  thee  such  a  kind  and  loving 
heart,  that  I  will  not  believe — no,  not  though 
thine  own  words  and  deeds  should  seem  to  de- 
clare it — that  the  meanest  creature  in  thy  house- 
hold will  be  overlooked  or  left  unprovided  for. 
Truth,  Lord,  I  am  not  a  child,  and  I  ask  not, 
expect  not  a  child's  favor  at  thy  hands.  I  am 
but  a  dog  before  thee,  and  it  is  no  part  of  the 
children's  food — it  is  but  a  crumb  from  thy 
richly  furnished  table  that  I  crave  ;  and  what  but 
such  among  all  the  rich  and  varied  blessings  that 
thou  hast  come  to  lavish  upon  thine  own — what 
but  such  would  be  the  saving  mercy  upon  the 
like  of  me,  and  healing  my  poor  afflicted  child  ? ' 
She  triumphs  and  more  than  triumphs.  Not  one 
moment  longer  does  her  Lord  prolong  the  agony 
of  her  suspense.  '  0,  woman,'  he  exclaims, 
'great  is  thy  faith:  be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt.'" 

Many  in  our  day  say  that  they  are  too 
great  sinners  to  be  pardoned.  I  fear  that  these 
do  not  feel  the  full  meaning  of  their  allega- 
tion. They  may  be  conscious  of  heavy  guilt, 
but  they  are  not  conscious  of  guilt  so  crushing 
as  that.  One  of  this  class  told  her  pastor,  who 
knew  the  weakness  of  human  nature,  that 
she  was  too  great  a  sinner  to  be  pardoned ; 
that  she  had  done  despite  to  the  Spirit  of 
grace,  and  defied  for  many  years  Christ's  au- 
thority.    The  keen  eyes  of  that  master  in  Israel 


NEW  TESTAMENT  COX  VERSIONS.  99 

saw  below  all  that  show  of  humilit}"  a  large 
amount  of  self-righteousness,  and  joined  with 
her  in  her  depreciation  of  self.  When  she 
was  done,  he  proceeded  to  say  that  she  was 
a  far  greater  sinner  than  she  had  acknowl- 
edged— far  greater  than  she  had  any  concep- 
tion of.  At  this  point  the  spirit  of  rebellion 
arose.  She  broke  out  into  a  torrent  of  invec- 
tives on  professed  Christians,  and  alleged  that 
she  was  much  better  than  many  of  them.  Her 
concealed  pride  and  self-righteousness  came  at 
last  to  the  surface.  She  went  home  displeased 
with  her  pastor,  declaring  that  she  could  no 
longer  attend  his  ministry  since  he  had  such  a 
low  opinion  of  her  character.  But  his  searching 
words  had  made  their  impression.  "  Yes,  you  are 
a  greater  sinner  than  you  have  any  conception 
of,"  rang  in  her  ears,  until  she  was  brought 
to  the  condition  of  the  poor  woman  in  the  text. 
She  became  willing  at  last  to  accept  even  the 
crumbs  from  the  Master's  table.  When  she 
reached  that  point,  the  blessing  came.  Her  sins 
were  forgiven.  The  Lord  said  unto  her,  "  Be  it 
unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  After  this  she 
visited  her  pastor  with  a  light  heart  and  a  beam- 
ing face,  in  order  to  tell  him  that  her  sins  had 
been   forgiven,  but  not  until    she    had   cried  ; 

"  Other  refuge  have  I  none  ; 

Hangs  my  helpless  soul  on  thee  ; 
Leave,  ah  !  leave  me  not  alone, 
Still  support  and  comfort  me." 


100  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

If  3'ou,  dear  reader,  have  imagined  that  you 
are  too  great  a  sinner  to  be  pardoned,  give 
it  up  at  once  and  remember  that  Christ's  blood 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.  Throw  30ur  d3'ing  soul 
into  his  loving  arms.  Cast  your  all  upon  him 
for  time  and  eternity.  Approach  him  at  once 
with  the   sweet  words : 

"  Just  as  I  am,  poor,  wretched,  blind  ; 
Sight,  riches,  healing  of  the  mind  : 
Yea,  all  I  need,  in  thee  to  find, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come  ! 

*'  Just  as  I  am !  thou  wilt  receive, 
Wilt  welcome,  pardon,  cleanse,  relieve  ; 
Because  thy  promise  I  believe, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come  !  " 

"  Truth,  Lord  :  yet :  "  is  the  sum  and  substance 
of  faith.  If  we  have  learned  to  connect  these 
words,  we  have  learned  to  believe.  "  Truth, 
Lord : "  sin  has  abounded  unto  death ;  yet 
"  hath  thy  grace  much  more  abounded  unto 
life."  "  Truth,  Lord  : "  cursed  is  ever^^  one  that 
abideth  not  in  all  things  which  are  written  in 
the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them ;  yet,  "  He,  who 
knew  no  sin  was  made  sin  for  us  ;  that  we  might 
be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him." 
"Truth,  Lord"  is  a  true  view  of  self;  "j'et" 
is  a  profound  knowledge  of  Christ,  The  two, 
in  their  proper  relation,  constitute  a  saved  per- 
son— a  child  of  God. 


Chapter  vii. 


THE    CONVERSION   OF   A   BROKEN-DOWN 

MERCHANT— THE    DEMONIAC 

OF    GADARA. 


Mark  v,  19,  20:  "Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell  them 
how  great  things  tlie  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,"  etc. 

AS  we  have  seen,  the  publican  and  the  way- 
side beggar  both  went  after  Jesus.  They 
had  heard  of  his  intention  to  pass  by 
them,  and  made  eveiy  effort  to  meet  him.  The 
former  ran  before  the  multitude  and  climbed 
into  a  sycomore  tree,  and  the  latter  cried, 
"  Jesus,  thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me." 
In  the  case  of  the  Gadarene  this  order  was 
reversed.  Though  he  had  heard  of  the  coming 
of  the  Great  Physician  to  Capernaum,  he  did 
not  cross  the  lake  in  order  to  consult  him,  nor 
did  he  wait  on  his  own  shore  for  his  arrival. 
There  is  nothing  in  his  history  from  which  we 
may  gather  that  he  ever  expected  to  see  him. 
He  had  doubtless  heard  of  his  miracles,  but  had 
expressed   no  desire  to   meet    him. 

Here  is  a  case  in  which   the    Great    Shepherd 
101 


102  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS, 

went,  of  his  own  accord,  after  his  lost  sheep. 
He  commanded  his  disciples  to  secure  a  boat  to 
convey  him  to  the  other  side  of  the  sea.  They 
were  probably"  ignorant  of  his  object  in  crossing, 
but  it  was  enough  for  them  to  know  that  he 
wanted  to  visit  the  opposite  bank.  There  is 
in  this  a  lesson  of  great  practical  importance. 
The  Saviour  could  have  walked  around  the  sea 
to  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  but  he  pre- 
ferred allowing  his  disciples  to  take  him  thither. 
This  suggests  that  means  are  to  be  used  in 
order  to  bring  Christ  into  touch  with  perishing 
souls. 

Christ  not  only  went  after  the  lost  sheep,  but 
he  went  after  it  at  no  little  sacrifice.  He  had 
just  been  addressing  the  multitude  until  his 
physical  strength  was  nearly  exhausted.  As 
soon  as  the  boat  left  the  shore,  therefore,  he 
lay  his  head  on  the  hard  cushion  of  the  steers- 
man and  fell  into  a  deep  sleep.  But  he  was 
suddenly  roused  by  his  frightened  companions. 
One  of  the  fierce  storms  which  are  common  to 
Palestine  unexpectedly  swept  down  the  slope  of 
Gennesaret.  With  scarce  a  moment's  warning 
the  air  was  turned  into  a  whirlwind,  and  the  sea 
into  a  foam.  Danger  became  imminent,  but  so 
great  was  the  Saviour's  fatigue  that  he  calmly 
slept  until  the  cry  came,  "  Lord !  Master !  Save, 
we  perish  I  "  Without  confusion  of  thought  or 
quivering  of  nerve,  he  first  stilled  the  tempest  in 
the  souls  of  his  disciples,  and  then  commanded 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  103 

the  winds  and  the  waves  to  subside.  But  soon 
after  this  had  passed  away  the  boat  reached  the 
bleak  country  of  the  Gadarenes. 

The  subject  of  the  text  is  the  Conversion 
of  a  Broken-down  Merchant — the  Demoniac  of 
Gadara. 

Notice,  first,  his  phj-sical  and  mental  condi- 
tion when  Christ  found  liim.  It  is  said  that 
he  was  possessed  of  the  devil.  He  is  called 
in  Scripture  a  Demoniac.  For  our  present 
purpose  it  is  of  no  importance  what  theory  we 
adopt  regarding  the  nature  of  the  demons 
that  tormented  his  mind  or  body.  The  inspired 
writers  do  not  explain  it,  and  commentators  have 
not  been  able  to  set  the  question  at  rest.  Some 
hold  that  the  demons  in  the  Saviour's  day  were 
not  evil  spirits,  but  malignant  diseases.  Which- 
ever it  was,  the  results  of  their  possession  of 
the  man  in  the  text  were  distressing  in  the 
extreme. 

The  first  result  was  the  marring  of  his 
personal  appearance.  It  is  safe  to  infer  that 
the  Demoniac  was  in  his  younger  daj'S  a  man 
of  some  comeliness  of  person.  But  when  he  met 
the  Saviour  on  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
he  hardly  looked  like  a  man.  His  face  was 
burned  b}'  exposure  to  the  sun,  his  frame 
emaciated  by  hunger,  and  his  limbs  were  bleed- 
ing from  self-inflicted  torture.  His  eyes  were 
fierce  and  fiery  from  inward  i)ain,  and  his  whole 
bearing   was  that  of  a  savage  beast  that   was  a 


104  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

terror  to  the  neighborhood.  His  food  consisted 
of  what  he  found  in  the  woods,  among  the  rocks 
and  along  the   east  coast  of  the   sea. 

The  demons  not  onl}^  marred  his  personal 
appearance,  but  separated  him  from  his  home 
and  friends.  He  was  probably  a  native,  and 
once  a  respectable  merchant  of  the  city  of 
Gadara.  But,  under  demoniacal  influence,  he 
had  lost  his  love  for  family  and  kindred,  and 
they,  in  turn,  had  become  alienated  from  him. 
From  the  loss  of  affection,  if  not  from  shame, 
he  left  his  home  and  city  for  the  highlands  of 
Gennesaret,  where  he  discovered  spacious  exca- 
vations used  as  haunts  of  robbers,  places  of 
refuge,  and  tombs  for  the  dead.  By  this  time, 
his  mind  was  so  far  unbalanced  that,  instead  of 
living  with  his  relatives  and  following  his  orig- 
inal calling,  he  dwelt  among  the  tombs,  where 
his  thoughts  were  filled  with  ghostly  images  of 
the    departed. 

The  devil  not  onlj^  marred  his  personal  appear- 
ance and  drove  him  from  his  home,  but  plunged 
him  also  into  the  deepest  degradation  and 
misery.  The  tendency  of  sin  was  then,  as  it  is 
now,  to  degradation,  if  not  to  downright  bestial- 
ity. The  devil  creates  in  man's  soul  an  affinity 
for  the  low  and  the  unclean.  By  it  the  Gada- 
rene  demoniac  had  been  reduced  to  the  level  of 
the  swine.  Like  the  prodigal  he  found  himself 
sharing  the  lot  of  the  unclean  beasts. 

The    devil,    moreover,    produced   a   species   of 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  105 

mental  derangement.  Tliis  is  the  best  way  to 
account  for  tlie  conduct  of  the  Gadarene  in 
making  his  home  not  among,  but  in  the  tomljs. 
There  he  was  a  voluntar^^  outcast  from  society 
without  desire  to  hold  communication  with 
his  family.  He  cared  not  for  their  welfare. 
But,  during  his  lucid  moments  when  lie  realized 
what  he  once  was,  and  wliat  he  still  might  be, 
he  carried  on  a  frantic  war  with  himself  by 
lacerating  his  body  with  sharp  flints  gathered 
on  the  slopes  of  Galilee.  When  he  relapsed 
from  these  lucid  spells  he  was  more  furious 
than  before.  Then,  in  self-protection,  he  forced 
his  neighbors  to  bind  him  with  fetters  and 
chains.  But  so  great  was  his  physical  strength 
under  those  demoniacal  possessions  that  he 
broke  the  chains  and  cut  the  fetters  in  sunder. 
It  may  be  asked,  if  there  is  anything  analo- 
gous to  this  in  our  own  day  and  country  ? 
No  doubt  there  were  peculiar  elements  in  the 
case  of  the  Demoniac  which  put  his  case  beyond 
the  limits  of  ordinary  experience.  He  must 
have  been  at  times  overpowered  by  some  agent 
stronger  than  himself.  Meanwhile,  it  must  be 
true  that  he  yielded  to  it  of  his  own  accord. 
We  are  not  ready  to  affirm  that  the  Demoniac 
was  insane  any  more  than  the  drunkard,  the 
libertine,  the  gambler  or  the  defaulter  of  our 
own  day.  All  of  them,  however,  are  to  be 
regarded  as  being  possessed  of  the  devil  in 
some    sense.      Is   it   not    true    that    there     are 


106  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

raving  maniacs  of  this  sort  in  every  commun- 
itj  in  our  land?  Are  not  all  those  such  "who 
succumb  to  the  tempting  power  of  the  intox- 
icating cup  ?  Some  of  them,  alas  I  have  taken 
every  step  the  Gadarene  Demoniac  took.  Their 
visage  has  become  marred  by  years  of  indul- 
gence. Their  home  has  lost  its  attractions,  and 
their  dearest  relatives,  their  fascination.  Their 
business  and  place  of  abode  have  been  ex- 
changed for  the  country  or  some  out  of  the 
way,  godless  village.  There,  unchecked  b}''  the 
presence  of  wife,  children  or  friends,  they  are 
sinking  to  the  low  level  of  the  beast.  The  rec- 
ollection of  home  and  their  once  happ}'-  life, 
mingled  with  the  compunctions  of  a  guilty  con- 
science, lacerate  the  soul  more  severely  than 
the  flints  of  the  desert  cut  the '  flesh  of  the 
Demoniac   of  Gadara. 

Are  not  our  large  cities  the  homes  of  multi- 
tudes of  libertines  who  have  exchanged  the 
sweet  company  of  mothers  and  sisters  for  that 
of  strangers  whose  steps  lead  to  death  ?  Do 
not  their  disfigured  faces  and  unsteady  bearing 
betray  the  presence  of  the  demon  lust?  Have 
not  multitudes  left  homes  of  happiness  and  com- 
fort for  mining  camps,  or  God-forsaken  towns 
on  the  frontier  ?  Not  a  few  have  passed  from 
one  downward  step  to  another,  until  they  have 
nearly  reached  the  low  level   of  the  brute. 

Is  not  the  course  also  of  the  gambler  and 
the  defaulter  similar  to   that  of  the   Demoniac? 


NEW   TESTAMENT    CONVERSIONS.  107 

How  many  of  them  in  a  few  3'ears,  have  sadly 
changed  in  their  personal  appearance?  How 
many  have  become  indifferent  to  home  and 
relatives  and  sought  a  place  of  abode  in  a  far 
country,  among  a  people  for  whom  they  once 
had   no  aflinit}'  ? 

Notice,  secondl^y,  the  impotency  of  human 
means  to  bring  such  persons  to  their  right  mind. 
It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  the  wife  and 
children  of  the  Demoniac  did  all  in  their  power 
to  correct  his  habits,  hide  his  faults  and  bring 
him  to  repentance.  No  one  can  describe  the 
pain  they  experienced ;  the  struggles  through 
■which  they  passed,  and  the  tears  they  shed  over 
his  bad  conduct  long  before  they  let  it  be  known 
to  his  neighbors.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  not 
until  all  home  expedients  had  failed  was  he 
allowed  to  break  through  the  restraints  of  love 
and  affection.  Even  when  that  was  done  friends 
and  neighbors  were  not  wanting  to  offer  their 
kindly  services,  but  they  w^ere  of  no  avail.  It  is 
emphatically  said  that  they  "  could  not  bind 
him,  no,  not  with  chains."  They  tried  fetters, 
the}^  tried  manacles,  and  the}"  tried  confinement. 
But  he  broke  the  fetters,  removed  the  man- 
acles, and  escaped  from  his  confinement.  They 
could  do  nothing  with  him.  All  the  expedients 
devised  failed. 

Human  means  are  no  more  effective  in  our 
own  day  in  bringing  about  a  thorough  reforma- 
tion in   the   case   of  demoniacs.     Many   are   the 


108  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

chains  and  fetters,  the  tears  and  expostulations 
of  wives  and  children.  Friends  and  relatives  weep 
over,  preach  to,  exact  promises  from,  watch  night 
and  day,  follow  and  guard  the  drunkard.  Par- 
ents, children  and  friends  expostulate  with  and 
try  to  persuade  the  gambler.  The  law  of  the 
land,  public  sentiment,  and  the  punishments  of 
Almight}^  God  are  pointed  out  to  the  libertine. 
Much  is  thus  done  to  keep  vice  and  crime  from 
encroaching  on  the  liberty  and  enjoyment  of 
others;  much  to  keep  both  within  respectable 
bounds.  Nevertheless,  they  fail  to  change  the 
Demoniac ;  they  succeed  at  times  in  checking 
the  demon,  but  they  do  not  cast  him  out. 
They  may  protect  society,  but  they  do  not  save 
the  soul  1 

Notice,  thirdly,  the  reception  accorded  to  the 
Saviour  by  many  who  stand  most  in  need  of 
his  blessings.  The  Demoniac  begged  of  him 
to  let  him  alone.  "  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus, 
thou  Son  of  the  most  high  God  ? "  The  Gada- 
rene,  observe,  identifies  himself  with  the  demon 
within  and  bids  the  Saviour  let  him  alone — "  go 
away  and  disturb  me  not."  He  is  contented  to 
live  in  the  tombs,  to  clank  his  chains,  cut  his 
flesh,  and  howl  like  a  madman.  There  can  be  no 
sadder  description  than  this  of  the  sinner  !  Yet 
it  is  true,  down  to  the  minutest  details.  The 
drunkard  cries  to  Christ  to  let  him  alone ;  not  to 
torment  him,    not  to  take  away  his   intoxicating 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  109 

cup  1  The  gamuler  cries  to  him  to  go  away,  to  let 
him  alone,  and  not  to  torment  him.  The  liber- 
tine bids  him  keep  away,  and  prays  him  not  to 
trouble  him.  The  covetous  man  cries,  "  Torment 
me  not!  Let  me  cling  to  my  gold  and  die  by 
its  side."  The  proud,  the  vain,  the  ambitious  and 
the  self-indulgent  cry,  "  Torment  us  not  by 
coming  to  us  with  self-denial,  with  religious 
life  or  with  a  cross."  This  is  the  welcome  often 
received  bv  him  who  left  heaven  to  conve}^  men 
thither;  who  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a 
servant  in  order  to  suffer  for  them ;  who  crossed 
the  tempestuous  sea  of  life  to  reach  them; 
who  agonized  and  died  in  order  to  save  them. 
Alas  I  multitudes  speak  of  Christ  as  though 
he  came  to  torment  their  souls.  Nevertheless, 
he  continues  to  seek  and  to  save  even  the  least 
likel}^  to  come. 

Notice,  lastly,  a  few  of  the  results  of  Christ's 
meeting  the  Demoniac.  He  was  restored  to  his 
right  mind.  He  was  not  what  we  understand  by 
a  downright  maniac,  but  a  man  who  was  broken 
down  in  health  or  morally  wrecked.  The 
Bible  often  speaks  of  the  sinner  who  rebels 
against  God  and  destroys  his  own  happiness 
as  being  beside  himself.  The  prodigal  is  said 
to  have  been  brought  to  himself,  impl3-ing  that 
he  had  been  previously  mad.  What  can  be 
greater  madness  than  to  def}^  the  God  in  whose 
hands  our  breath  is  ?  than  to  carr^^  weapons 
of  i^bellion  against  him  who  controls  the  winds 


110  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

and  the  waves  ?  than  to  refuse  the  offers  of 
reconciliation  when  we  know  that  persistence 
in  rebellion  will  prove  our  ruin  ?  The  converted 
man  is  restored  to  his  right  mind. 

The  Demoniac  was  brought  not  only  to  his 
right  mind,  but  to  his  right  place  also,  namely, 
the  feet  of  Jesus.  What  a  contrast  between 
•what  this  man  was  a  few  days  before,  and  what 
he  is  now.  Yesterday  he  dwelt  in  the  tombs — 
to-day  he  sits  at  the  feet  of  him  who  is  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life.  Yesterday'  he  car- 
ried upon  his  body  the  scent  of  corruption — 
to-day  he  carries  the  atmosphere  of  heaven. 
Yesterday  he  lay  in  the  midst  of  the  chillj^  damp 
of  the  caves — to-day  he  basks  in  the  full  sun- 
shine of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Yesterday 
he  sat  under  the  shadow  of  the  burnt  mountains 
of  Gadara — to-day  he  sits  under  the  shadow  of 
the  great  Rock.  Yesterday  he  amused  himself 
with  the  phosphorescence  of  the  grave — to-day 
he  revels   in   the   light   of  life! 

The  attitude  of  all  true  converts  is  that  of 
sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  They  take  a  low 
place.  Humility  is  their  constant  garment.  It 
shows  their  spiritual  greatness.  Much  knowl- 
edge makes  one  humble.  The  shallow  man  is 
the  conceited  one.  There  is  no  room  for 
self  at  Jesus'  feet.  No  place  is  found  there  for 
pride.  None  sit  at  his  feet  but  the  emptj^  the 
poor  in  spirit,  the  one  who  smites  upon  his  breast 
and  cries,  "  God  be  merciful  unto  me,  a  sinner." 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS  111 

Sittinf^  at  his  foot  is  a  mark  of  disci pleship 
also.  The  Demoniac,  therefore,  was  not  only 
in  his  right  mind  and  in  the  right  place,  but  in 
the  right  compan}-,  namely,  that  of  Christ's  dis- 
ciples. He  mingled  with  those  who  were  in  the 
school  of  Christ.  It  is  there  that  the  Spirit 
teaches  his  lessons,  and  those  who  do  not  sit 
there  are  not  taught  of  him.  But  lie  who  sits 
there  gets  nearest  to  the  throne  of  God.  No 
soul  will  find  itself  at  the  foot  of  the  throne  in 
heaven  which  is  not  found  at  the  feet  of  Jesus 
on  earth. 

The  Demoniac  was  further  brought  to  the 
right  frame  of  mind.  It  is  said  of  him,  as  was 
said  of  Paul,  "  Behold,  he  prayeth."  Prayer  is 
the  Christian's  vital  breath.  The  Demoniac 
breathed  out  his  desire  in  the  ears  of  Christ, 
but,  strange  to  say,  lie  received  no  reply.  The 
prayer  which  he  offered  was  the  only  one  per- 
haps which  Jesus  did  not  answer  in  the  way  it 
was  intended.  The  demons  pra3'ed  that  they 
might  be  permitted  to  enter  the  swine,  and  it 
was  granted  ;  the  Gadarenes  prayed  that  Jesus 
might  depart  from  their  coast,  and  it  was  granted. 
But  when  this  restored  child  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  follow  the  Saviour  his  praj^er  was  not  heard. 
The  wayside  beggar  was  allowed  to  go  with  the 
multitude  who  were  praising  God,  but  the 
Demoniac  was  refused  the  same  privilege.  Why 
is  this?  The  object  for  which  he  prayed  must 
have    been    right    and    proper.     The    spirit    in 


112  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

■wliicli  he  pra^^ed  must  have  been  humble  and 
all  that  could  be  asked.  Why,  then,  was  he 
not  heard?  His  motives  may  not  have  been 
in  all  respects  right.  They  may  have  contained 
a  selfish  desire  to  be  happy  in  Christ's  presence, 
and  to  bask  the  rest  of  his  days  in  his  love, 
to  see  his  face  and  enjo}?^  his  fellowship,  rather 
than  to  be  useful  in  his  service.  Or,  his  pra^^er 
may  have  been  offered  from  a  trembling  fear  of 
his  old  enemies.  He  may  have  felt  that  if  he 
remained  in  those  parts  the  old  passions  and 
habits  would  come  back  and  again  overcome 
him,  forgetting  that  he  who  expelled  them  was 
able  also  to  keep  them  out.  The  Lord  himself, 
though  absent  from  him  in  the  flesh,  had  prom- 
ised to  watch  over  him  in  all  his  ways. 

Or,  perhaps,  his  prayer  may  have  been  offered 
from  a  desire  to  abandon  the  place  in  which  he 
had  lived  a  raving  demoniac.  Shame  may  have 
led  him  to  wish  to  get  away  from  the  presence 
of  those  whom  he  had  injured,  and  who  had 
seen  his  wretched  condition  under  demoniacal 
possession. 

Admitting  that  the  object,  spirit  and  motives 
of  his  prayer  were  all  right,  the  Saviour  may 
have  seen  that  it  would  be  better  for  him  and 
the  neighborhood  to  answer  it  in  a  different  way 
from  what  he  intended.  Of  all  men,  he  seemed 
to  be  the  one  to  go  back  to  his  country  and 
companions  to  tell  the  stor}'  of  Jesus'  love. 
All  the  disciples  combined  could  not  produce  the 


NEW   TKSTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  113 

effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  Gadarenes  which  his 
presence  coidd.  ''  He  had  friends,"  says  another, 
"  who  once  felt  tenderly  toward  him,  but  whom 
he  had  long  estranged  by  his  ungodly  ways.  He 
ma}^  have  had  a  father  and  a  mother  who  had 
spenb  many  a  sleepless  night  thinking  of  their 
poor  prodigal,  especially  when  the  storm  was 
loud  and  he  was  alone  with  the  demons  among 
the  tombs.  He  may  have  had  a  wife,  who 
thought,  with  burning  tears,  of  her  husband, 
who  once,  and  perhaps  still,  was  the  idol  of 
her  heart.  He  may  have  had  children  to  whom 
their  father  had  been  a  terror  and  a  mystery  as 
they  gathered  around  their  mother's  knee  like 
scared  birds  when  they  heard  his  voice  and  his 
steps  coming  near  the  door.  To  be  the  acquaint- 
ance, the  parents,  the  wife,  or  the  children  of  a 
demon-possessed  man — how  dreadful  was  the 
thought !  He  has  dragged  them  all  with  him  into 
the  abyss  and  tormented  thetn  through  his  sin. 
In  vain  have  they  tried  to  bind  him  with  chains. 
Many  a  painful  struggle  to  do  so  has  that  house 
w'itnessed.  Upon  its  walls  the  chains  are  per- 
haps still  hanging  with  the  thought  of  their 
being  used  again,  and  with  better  hopes  of  suc- 
cess. Now,  however,  since  the  man  has  met 
Jesus,  these  chains  are  no  longer  required.  The 
friend,  son,  brother,  husband,  father  returns ; 
bis  face  calm  as  an  inland  sea,  and  shining  as 
if  he  were  fresh  from  the  brow  of  Tabor.  His 
mother  can  see   in   his  eves   those   of  her  child 


11 4:  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

again,  3^et  more  innocent  and  beautiful;  the  wife 
can  discern  the  old,  familiar  look  of  earthly  love 
transfigured  with  heavenly  grace ;  the  children 
can  climb  his  knees  and  kiss  his  face  still  marked 
by  the  scars  of  the  old  battles  among  the  tombs, 
yet  full  of  love  that  casteth  out  fear,  and  whose 
every  look  and  word  is  to  their  young  hearts 
refreshing  as   the  dews  of  Hermon." 

It  was  Christ's  will  that  this  restored  Demo- 
niac  should  be  a  beacon  light  to  all  the  people 
of  that  coast.  This  newly  enkindled  light  on 
the  banks  of  the  dangerous  sea  was  not  to  be 
kept  safe  and  warm,  or  hid  under  a  bushel,  but 
exposed  to  sight  that  it  might  safely  guide  those 
driven  before  the  storms.  How  fearful  is  the 
denunciation  of  Christ  against  a  beacon  which 
sends  forth  no  light :  "  If  the  light  that  is  in 
thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  darkness  I" 
What  image  could  l>e  more  terrible  than  thisl 
Here  is  a  Christian,  set  forth  as  an  eclipsed  lu- 
minary I  A  star  in  the  night,  or  a  sun  at  noon- 
day, giving  no  light ! 

At  the  command  of  Christ  the  Demoniac  went 
to  his  own  house.  Picture  if  you  can  that  re- 
turn— that  approach  to  his  own  household — that 
crossing  of  the  threshold — that  welcome  of  the 
loved  ones — those  bounding  feet — those  clasping 
arms — those  sobbing  utterances  of  overwhelming 
rapture,  too  deep  for  words  !  "  There  he  is  once 
more  with  the  living,  in  his  own  house  with  the 
ministries    of    gentle    hands,   the    brightness   of 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSION'S.  115 

loving  e^-es,  tlio  music  of  sweet  voices — all  the 
peace,  tlie  triiiinph,  the  rapture  of  holy  and  ex- 
ultnnt   life,   within    him    and    round    him!" 

Follow  him  one  step  further  to  the  streets  of 
Decapolis,  and  see  hira  among  the  friends  and 
companions  of  his  years  of  revelry  and  sin.  See 
how  his  eyes  flash,  how  his  heart  bounds  I  See 
how,  in  simple  yet  earnest  eloquence,  he  tells 
them  of  that  blessed  Redeemer  who  met  him  in 
his  wanderings,  and  who  graciously  saved  him 
from  sin  and  hell !  His  very  presence,  in  his 
right  mind,  was  a  sermon  more  eloquent  than 
any  which  Paul  or  A  polios  could  preach. 


Chapter  viii. 


THE    CONVERSION   OF   A  MAN  AT  THE  LAST 

HOUR— THE  MALEFACTOR  ON 

THE  CROSS. 


Luke  xxiii.  42,  43  :  "  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest 
into  thy  kmgdom,"  etc. 

THESE  are  the  last  words  of  a  dying  thief. 
He  had  reached  the  eleventh  hour  both 
in  time  and  condition.  In  the  jaws  of 
death  he  cast  his  eye  on  Christ  and  addressed 
him  as  Lord.  Life  was  rapidly  ebbing,  and  for 
him  the  world  was  fast  passing  away.  He  knew 
that  there  was  a  world  beyond,  but  he  had  no 
ground  for  hoping  that  it  would  be  well  with 
him  there.  He  had  only  a  few  more  hours  to 
live,  and  the  question  stared  him  in  the  face  how 
he  was  to  make  the  necessary  preparation  for 
the  future  in  the  midst  of  pain,  jeers  and  blas- 
phemy. 

He  was  not  onl}^  on  the  verge  of  eternity,  but 
was  a  malefactor — a  thief  or  a  robber,  probably 
both.     He    was    conscious   of  being  justly    con- 
116 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  117 

demned,  and  legally  nailed  to  the  tree  of  shame. 
In  addressing  Christ,  he  thus  summed  up  the 
sad  result  of  his  life  and  that  of  one  of  his 
fellow-sufferers :  "  We  receive  the  due  reward 
of  our  deeds."  The  end  of  our  efforts,  the 
results  of  our  life,  the  prize  of  our  conflicts,  and 
the  reward  of  our  struggles,  is  this  righteous 
condemnation!  What  could  be  more  sad  I 
Nevertheless  a  ray  of  hope,  a  flash  of  light 
from  above  appears  even  here.  It  discloses 
the  outward  expression  of  the  noblest  faith,  a 
faith  which  sprang  up  where  there  was  no  soil; 
which  put  forth  leaves  without  sunshine;  which 
bore  precious  fruit  in  the  absence  of  the  usual 
succession  of  seed-time  and  harvest. 

The  subject  to  which  your  attention  is  invited 
is  The  Conversion  of  a  Man  at  the  Last  Hour — 
the   Malefactor  on  the   Cross. 

Notice,  flrst,  some  of  the  steps  leading  to  it. 
We  discover  in  his  words  that  he  had  now  a  full 
realization  of  his  guilt.  It  is  a  fearful  expe- 
rience for  one  to  become  suddenly  conscious  of 
his  lost  condition  ;  but  to  become  conscious  of  it 
when  it  seems  to  be  too  late  to  have  it  remedied 
is  overwhelmingly  so !  The  dying  thief  makes 
no  attempt  to  conceal,  to  justify-,  or  even  to  pal- 
liate his  crime.  He  acknowledges  it  frankly  and 
fully:  "  AVe  indeed  justly."  He  thus  takes  the 
entire  blame  to  himself,  and  seeks  the  clemency 
of  the  merciful  King  hanging  by  his  side. 

A  realization  of  his  lost  condition  at  such  an 


118  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

hour  and  under  such  circumstances  must  have 
produced  fear  and  trembling.  Never  before  had 
he  seen  himself  in  such  a  light.  He  had  not 
previously  felt  that  he  stood  before  any  court 
higher  than  the  Roman  tribunal.  If  he  had  ever 
thought  of  the  eternal  throne,  it  was  soon  for- 
gotten, banished  or  buried  from  sight.  But  now 
it  cannot  be  set  aside  or  even  disregarded.  He 
asks  his  fellow-sufferer :  ''  Dost  thou  not  fear 
God  ?  "  It  is  every  one's  duty  to  do  so.  What 
a  change  to  go  from  a  state  of  irreverence  to 
God's  presence — from  habitual  forgetfulness  of 
divine  justice  to  a  recognition  of  its  claims. 

Here  are  not  only  a  conviction  of  sin  and 
fear  of  retribution,  but  a  new  view  of  the  Person 
hanging  by  his  side.  Human  sympathy  could 
afford  him  no  help — for  divine  justice  was  now 
frowning  upon  him.  By  his  side  hangs  one  who 
seemed  to  be  covered  with  obloquy  and  loaded 
with  shame,  but  who,  in  spite  of  all  accusations 
and  appearances,  was  not  only  innocent  of  crime, 
but  omnipotent.  "  Lord,  remember  me."  New 
light  instantly  dawned  upon  the  malefactor's  mind 
— the  events  of  the  past  few  days  passed  in  rapid 
sucession  before  his  dazed  vision.  He  had  possi- 
bly heard  the  testimony  of  Pilate,  who  declared 
that  he  had  found  no  fault  in  Christ,  and  that  of 
the  great  company  of  people  and  of  women  who 
bewailed  and  lamented  him ;  he  had  heard  many 
speak  of  Christ's  innocence  and  of  the  work  of 
love  and  kindness  he  had  performed  among  them 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  119 

for  three  3'ears  and  a  half.  He  had  no  doubt  seen 
his  face,  and  discovered  on  it  the  outward  glow 
of  a  pure  and  calm  conscience ;  he  had  seen  him 
fearless,  composed,  3'et  meek  and  gentle;  he 
had  heard  his  words  to  the  daughters  of  Jeru- 
salem, so  solemn  and  yet  so  tender,  so  majestic 
and  yet  so  divine  :  "  Weep  not  for  me,  but  weep 
for  3'ourselves,  and  for  your  children.''  He  had 
perhaps  heard  his  prayer,  revealing  a  love  and 
holiness,  more  than  human  :  "  Father,  forgive 
them  I"  This  caused  the  conviction  to  flash 
across  his  mind  that  Christ  was  the  onlj'-begotten 
of  the  Father — the  Lord  of  Glory. 

The  thief  recognized  in  Christ  not  only 
divinity,  but  also  kingly  power:  "Lord,  remem- 
ber me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom." 
He  looked  upon  him  as  the  Sovereign  of  that 
kingdom  w^hich  was  looked  to  and  longed  for  by 
all  the  chosen  people.  What  he  saw  in  him  to 
produce  this  conviction  it  is  impossible  to  tell. 
Christ  had  no  robes  to  set  forth  his  kinglj^ 
power  save  the  crimson  stream  that  flowed  from 
his  hands  and  feet ;  he  had  no  crown  save  that 
of  thorns  to  set  forth  any  dominion  he  might 
have  possessed  ;  he  had  no  throne  save  the  trans- 
fixed beams  of  the  cross  ;  he  had  no  courtiers 
but  the  disciples  who  at  this  trying  hour  stood 
afar  off.  Yet,  the  dying  thief  discovered  that  he 
was  a  king ! 

Whatever  ma}-  have  been  the  process  through 
which  his  mind  passed,  he  came  to  the  conclusion 


120  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

that  the  taunted  sufferer  hanging  by  his  side  was 
the  long-expected  Messiah,  the  hope  of  Israel, 
and  the  refuge  of  the  guilty,  and  made  his  appeal 
to  him,  desperate  as  his  condition  was.  Con- 
demned of  men,  condemned  by  his  own  con- 
science and  condemned  of  God,  he  felt  that  prob- 
ably the  pangs  he  was  now  enduring  were  only 
the  foretaste  of  the  deeper  and  darker  ones  still 
awaiting  him  beyond  death.  But,  by  his  side, 
if  anywhere  in  the  nniverse,  was  one  who  was 
able  to  rescue  him  from  his  impending  doom, 
and  with  that  conviction  he  turns  to  the  bleeding 
Saviour,  and  urges  his  plea :  "  Lord,  remember 
me."  There  is  no  hesitation,  no  circumlocution, 
no  peradventure  in  his  speech  or  demeanor.  He 
sees  his  guilt ;  he  feels  his  danger ;  he  is  sure 
that  he  discovers  in  Jesus  evidence  of  power  to 
help  him,  and  he  at  once  earnestly  urges  his 
suit:  "  Lord,  remember  me  I  "  No  conditions  are 
here  laid  down,  no  terms  are  offered  ;  he  centres 
his  hopes  in  the  mere  mercy  of  him  whom  he 
names  Lord  and  King.  All  he  asks  is  remem- 
brance, notice,  pity,  just  what  the  Lord  might, 
of  his  own  goodness,  be  disposed  to  grant  him. 
This  is  unquestionably  a  saving  faith.  When 
alarmed  under  the  conviction  of  sin,  a  man 
attempts  much,  does  much,  and  promises  more, 
in  the  hope  of  obtaining  God's  favor.  But  when 
he  is  thoroughly  humbled ;  when  he  is  truly 
penitent,  he  begins  to  apprehend  the  real  char- 
acter, the  all-sufficiency,  and  the  matchless  grace 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  121 

of  Christ,  as  the  Savnour  of  perishing  souls  ;  he 
then  abandons  self-reliance,  he  struggles  under 
conviction;  he  offers  no  terms,  he  simply  and 
cordially  submits  to  the  good  pleasure,  the  unre- 
stricted will  of  God  in  Christ,  and  the  feelings 
of  his  heart  are  expressed  in  the  words,  "  Lord, 
remember  me !  " 

He  commits  his  cause  into  his  hands  for  time 
and  for  eternity.  To  be  remembered  by  this 
High  Priest  who  is  about  to  enter  the  holy  of 
holies,  is  all  his  desire  and  hope.  He  was  in 
some  way  raised  of  God  high  above  all  his  con- 
temporaries, so  that  the  saying  became  true,  the 
last  was  first.  He  had  not  only  knowledge  and 
faith,  but  clear  knowledge  and  a  gigantic  faith. 
He  understood,  better  perhaps  than  the  apostles, 
the  nature  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Christ — the 
relation  between  his  cross  and  his  crown,  his 
suffering  and  his  glory.  His  confidence,  even  in 
his  humiliation  and  shame,  was  stronger  than  their 
faith  or  their  adoring  trust.  He  was  more  loyal 
and  faithful  than  even  the  chosen  ambassadors 
and  pillars  of  the  church,  for  he  confessed  his 
heavenly  Master  before  his  revilers,  testified  of  his 
righteousness  in  the  ear  of  those  who  condemned 
him,  and  shared  his  reproach.  Thus  on  the  cross 
of  loneliest  agony  and  bitterest  suffering,  when 
this  poor  earth  offered  no  consolation,  no  sj'm- 
pathy,  no  cordial  to  the  Son  of  Man,  this  dj-ing 
thief  afforded  all  three;  he  was  indeed  a  lily  among 
thorns ;    whose    beauty    and    fragrance    afforded 


122  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSION'S. 

Jesus   the   last  jo}"    he    experienced    before    his 
death. 

Notice,  secondly,  the  difficulties  with  which  the 
dying  thief  had  to  contend  in  securing  his  salva- 
tion. The  first,  in  all  probabilit}",  was  the  sugges- 
tion of  Satan  that  he  was  too  great  a  sinner  to  be 
saved.  The  difference  between  a  man  who  is  a 
great  sinner  and  a  self-righteous  one  is  very  great. 
Satan  seeks  to  destroy  their  souls  in  a  variety  of 
ways.  Coming  to  one  he  whispers  in  his  ears, 
"  You  are  not  so  lost  as  to  need  salvation."  He 
comes  to  another  and  sa3's,  "  You  are  too  bad 
to  think  of  ever  getting  it,"  The  centurion  is  an 
example  of  the  former,  and  the  thief  on  the 
cross,  of  the  latter.  If  any  one  under  the  blind- 
ing 1)0 wer  of  the  deceiver  has  gone  so  far  astray 
as  to  think  that  he  does  not  need  salvation 
through  the  atoning  death  of  Christ — if  he  con- 
siders himself  safe,  because  he  has  never  done 
anything  particularly  wrong — does  not  wish  an3'- 
one  ill,  does  his  duty  as  a  father,  husband, friend, 
attends  to  some  of  the  outward  duties  of  religion 
— supposing  that  all  this  is  true,  to  what  does 
it  amount  ?  It  does  not  go  beyond  the  religion 
of  Cornelius,  for  an  angel  sent  from  heaven  came 
to  tell  him  that  his  prayers  and  alms  had  come 
up  as  a  memorial  before  God.  But,  did  his 
prayers  and  alms  save  him?  No,  they  only 
proved  that  he  was  seriously  seeking  salvation. 
And,  again,  if  au}^  one  should  say,  "  I  am  too  bad, 
too  wretched,  too  guilty  to  be  saved,  I  am  beyond 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  128 

the  reach  of  mercy,"  let  such  an  one  consider  the 
case  of  the  dying  thief.  The  man  in  the  text 
was  doubtless  fempted  of  the  devil  in  this  direc- 
tion. What  I  a  thief  and  a  robber  asking  mercy 
with  his  dying  breath  !  Is  it  not  an  insult  to 
God  ?  In  spite  of  all  this  the  poor  man  looked 
to  God  and  was  saved. 

The  second  ditticulty  with  which  the  thief  had 
to  contend  was  the  outward  appearance  and  sur- 
roundings of  the  Saviour.  lie  saw  in  him  no 
outvrard  signs  of  power  or  of  royalty.  He  was 
not  present  when  courtiers  applauded  hira  ;  he 
was  not  an  eyewitness  of  the  Galilean  prophet's 
triumph  when  the  risen  Lazarus  stood  before 
him ;  when  those  who  had  long  been  lame,  halt, 
crippled,  paralytic  or  lunatic  were  gratefull}'  pro- 
claiming the  power  that  had  healed  them ;  he 
was  not  one  of  the  thousands  who  were  miracu- 
lously fed  by  his  hand  and  who  hailed  him  as  the 
prophet  long  foretold,  the  Son  of  David,  Israel's 
promised  Messiah,  Israel's  King.  No,  no,  all 
those  recognitions  were  probably  unknown  to  him. 
The  dying  thief  spoke  to  Jesus — the  despised, 
calumniated,  condemned  Jesus — when  hanging  on 
the  cross  ;  when  surrounded  by  a  jeering  crowd, 
mocked  by  the  rude  soldiery  and  taunted  by  even 
the  priests  and  scribes  of  his  own  people. 

The  third  difficulty  was  the  desperate  circum- 
stances in  which  he  found  himself — hanging  upon 
the  cross.  It  was  not  easy,  hardly  possible,  for 
him  to  speak  so  that  the  Saviour  could  hear  him, 


12 J:  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

and  hardly  possible  for  him  to  hear  the  reply  of 
the  Saviour.  It  was  with  difficulty  he  could  con- 
trol his  mind  and  tongue  under  the  excruciating 
pains  of  the  crucifixion.  It  was  hard  to  think 
under  such  circumstances,  and  3'et  he  succeeded 
in  doing  it  to  the  saving  of  his  soul.  Unmoved 
by  example,  unawed  by  power  and  unaffected  by 
ridicule,  contempt  or  mocker^-,  this  boldest  of 
believers  judged  for  himself,  and  obej^ed  the 
impulses  of  his  own  conscience,  and,  while  all  the 
world  rejected  the  Christ,  while  his  very  disciples 
were  hiding  in  cowardly  desertion,  this  poor 
suffering  criminal,  this  despised  outlaw,  this 
guilty  but  now  penitent  thief,  dared,  alone  and  in 
defiance  of  Jews  and  Romans,  of  tortures  and 
scoffers,  to  single  out  the  very  person  on  whom 
all  others  thus  heaped  contumely  and  insult,  as 
the  One  whom  his  heart  and  his  voice,  solitary 
though  it  was,  should  hail  in  open  acknowledg- 
ment, as  the  great  Prophet,  the  promised  Mes- 
siah, the  Lord  of  the  future,  the  one  only  hope 
of  his  guilty,  perishing  soul :  "  Lord,  remember 
me." 

Notice,  lastly,  the  triumphs  of  the  dying  thief, 
and,  first,  his  triumph  over  his  old  habitS,  pas- 
.sions  and  desires.  Onl}^  a  few  days  before  this  he 
was  an  abandoned  profligate,  a  daring  ruffian, 
trampling  under  foot  the  laws  of  God  and  man  in 
order  to  gratify  his  passions  and  satisfy  his  lust. 
But  now  he  is  completely  changed.  His  lust 
is  eradicated,  his  fierce  passions  are  subdued  and 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  125 

even  his  love  of  life  is  lost  under  the  inlhience  of 
higher,  nobler  and  holier  motives.  He  seeks  the 
life  of  liis  soul,  regardless  of  the  infamy  that  cov- 
ered him,  or  the  pain  that  was  racking  every  fibre 
of  his  frame,  and  of  the  contempt  and  mockery 
which  were  heaped  upon  both,  and  without  spend- 
ing a  thought  on  the  pangs  of  death  which  he  felt 
must  soon  be  uj)on  him,  he  looked  beyond  death 
and  the  grave  and  laid  his  last  wish,  his  final 
petition,  before  him  in  whom  his  faith  then  clearly 
beheld  the  Lord   of  glory. 

He  also  triumphed  over  time.  To  God  time  is 
nothing.  His  Spirit  can  create  in  a  moment 
what,  in  others,  is  effected  only  by  degrees.  None 
can  reach  a  higher  point  than  this  sinner  did 
who  was  suddenly  converted.  To  fear  God,  to 
acknowledge  our  sins,  to  submit  to  the  justice 
of  our  condemnation,  to  turn  to  Christ,  to  call 
him  Lord,  to  surrender  ourselves  entirely  to  him, 
to  cry  for  his  mercy  and  mediation,  to  believe,  to 
love,  to  hope,  to  confess  and  suffer  Christ's 
reproach — these  are  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  against 
which  there  is  no  law.  Although  no  time  was 
given  the  thief  to  bring  forth  fruit  on  earth  to 
verify  his  profession  of  a  godly  life  and  to  prove 
the  genuineness  of  his  conversion  by  a  hol}^  walk, 
yet  he  performed  one  of  the  greatest  works  which 
any  saved  sinner  ever  did.  He  bore  witness  to 
the  truth — he  bore  it  under  trjdng  circumstances 
and  before  a  gain-sa3ing  world.  True,  his  feet 
and  his  hands  were  nailed  to  the  cross,  and  were 


126  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

therefore  powerless,  but  his  e3^e,  his  heart  and  his 
tongue  were  free.  His  e3'e  was  free  to  gaze  upon 
the  Son  of  God ;  his  heart  was  free  to  believe  in 
his  blessed  person,  and  his  tongue  was  free  to  con- 
fess his  name  when  all  other  tongues  were  silent. 
Had  he  come  down  from  the  cross  and  lived  to 
the  age  of  Methuselah,  he  could  have  done  nothing 
more  glorious,  nothing  more  pleasing  to  God 
than  that  which  he  did  during  the  few  brief 
moments  of  his  Christian  life — a  life  begun,  con- 
tinued and  ended  on  the  cross,  so  far  as  this 
world  was  concerned,  but  to  be  resumed  in  that 
other  world  in  which  death  cannot  enter. 

The  marvel  of  this  conversion  is  that  though 
sudden  it  was  complete.  It  cleared  awa}^  many 
stages  at  once.  The  dying  thief  did  not  linger  in 
gradual  repentance,  in  dawning  faith,  in  prelud- 
ing prayers  or  in  desires  and  efforts,  before  clear 
and  indisputable  fruit  appeared  ;  but  summer  and 
harvest,  aye,  and  a  rich  harvest,  trod  upon  the 
heels  of  spring. 

Some  regard  conversion  as  a  mere  process  of 
training  and  education  and  not  as  a  new  birth. 
Such  ask  if  it  is  possible  to  prepare  a  person  for 
heaven  in  so  short  a  time  ?  The  answer  is,  Yes. 
Suppose  one  was  rejoicing  in  the  birth  of  a  child 
to  bear  his  name  and  to  inherit  his  property,  and 
some  one  should  say,  "  Wait  a  little ;  the  child  is 
only  just  born,  it  is  not  yet  trained  and  in- 
structed ;  do  not  3'et  regard  it  as  your  son." 
Would   he   not   say,   "  Away   with    such    reason- 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  127 

iug.  Tluit  child,  to  be  sure,  is  young— only  a 
few  hours  old,  but  it  is  as  much  my  son  as  if  it 
had  been  born  twenty-one  years  before."  And 
so  when  a  sinner  believes  in  Christ,  he  is  a 
child  of  God,  and  God  provides  for  him  an  in- 
heritance; and  if  death  should  in  youth  carry 
him  hence,  he  takes  him  at  once  to  paradise. 

The  thief  on  the  cross  triumphed  not  only  over 
his  habits,  passions,  desires,  and  time,  but  also 
over  death.  ''  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in 
paradise."  Here  is  implied  a  blessed  compan- 
ionship with  the  eternal  King.  What  could  be 
more  glorious  ?  The  dying  thief,  like  ourselves, 
was  ignorant  of  the  locality  of  paradise.  He 
did  not  know  where  it  was,  what  is  the  condi- 
tion of  its  inhabitants,  or  what  are  their  pur- 
suits and  pleasure's.  But  he  is  told  in  the  text 
that  he  is  to  be  with  Jesus.  He  would  be  willing 
to  remain  ignorant  of  the  locality  if  he  could  only 
be  with  Jesus.  It  is  a  glorious  fact  that  when 
saints  die  they  at  once  enter  into  the  presence  of 
the  great  King.  He  said,  "Where  I  am,  there 
shall  also  my  servant  be." 

"  The  promise  to  be  with  Jesus  comprehends," 
says  some  one,  "  all  that  we  can  desire.  It 
includes  perfect  pardon  ;  for  would  Jesus  wel- 
come to  his  presence  in  glory  any  whose  dress 
was  soiled  with  sin?  It  includes  perfect  sanctifi- 
.  cation  ;  for  would  Jesus  invite  to  his  immediate 
presence  any  who  would  be  reluctant  to  obey  any 
command  he  mi^ht  issue  ?  " 


128  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSION'S. 

There  is  not  only  companionship  with  Christ 
promised  the  dying  thief,  but  companionship  with 
bim  in  paradise:  "  Today  shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  paradise."  Without  dwelling  on  the  connec- 
tion which  the  word  paradise  is  supposed  to  have 
with  heathen  nations  or  with  the  primitive  para- 
dise, the  first  abode  of  men  embraced  the  following 
elements,  viz.,  a  state  of  purity  or  of  innocence  ;  a 
place  of  beauty,  abundance  and  delight ;  a  condi- 
tion of  peaceful  and  full  satisfaction;  nearness  to 
God  as  a  loving  Father,  and  an  implied  pledge  of 
immortality.  The  Saviour  told  the  thief  that 
there  was  in  reserve  for  him  a  better  world  to 
which  he  would  conduct  him  after  death;  for 
wherever  he  himself  would  be,  there  should  his 
believing  people  be  also. 

There  was  not  only  companionship  with  Christ 
in  paradise  promised  him,  but  companionship  at 
once.  "  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise." How  close  to  each  other,  according  to 
this,  are  pardon  and  paradise,  the  cross  and  the 
crown,  the  battle  and  the  prize,  the  wilderness  and 
Canaan,  the  darkest  midnight  and  the  morning 
dawn,  Calvary  and  Zion  above  I 

What  a  striking  contrast  is  that  which  we  are 
here  permitted  to  behold — the  conscious  blessed- 
ness rushing  close  upon  the  heels  of  the  momen- 
tar}'  darkness  of  death  I  At  one  moment  there 
hangs  the  thief  writhing  in  mortal  agony;  the 
wild  shouts  of  the  fierce  mob  at  his  feet  and  all 
the  familiar  sights  of  earth  growing  dim  to  his 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  129 

failing  vision.  The  soldier's  spear  is  thrust,  the 
legs  are  broken,  and,  in  an  instant,  there  hangs 
a  relaxed  corpse;  and  the  spirit  is — where? 
Ah,  how  far  awaj^ ;  released  from  all  its  sins 
and  its  mortal  agony,  struggling  up,  at  once, 
into  such  strange  divine  enlargement — a  new  star 
swimming  into  the  firmament  of  heaven,  a  new 
face  before  the  throne  of  God,  another  sinner 
redeemed  from  earth  !  Thus  from  the  sfreatest 
depth  of  sin,  the  Lord  Jesus  often  gathers  his 
brightest  jewels.  Paul  was  a  persecutor,  Zaccheus 
a  publican,  the  man  of  Gadara  a  demoniac  and  the 
woman  of  Samaria  an  adulteress  ;  and  yet  the 
grace  of  God  went  plunging  through  the  depths 
of  their  sin  and  ignorance  until  it  found  them 
and  brought  them  up  to  the  light  of  life.  There 
is  no  depth  the  bottom  of  which  grace  cannot 
touch.  "  All  over  the  Dead  Sea  of  sin  covering 
the  nations  at  the  present  time,  God's  diving- 
bells,"  says  some  one,  "  are  busy  ;  all  through  the 
mountains  of  death,  God's  miners  are  blastinfr." 
Where  sin  aboundeth,  grace  shall  much  more 
abound. 

Though  we  are  permitted  to  rejoice  in  the 
boundless  nature  of  God's  love,  though  we  are 
told  that  whilst  there  is  life  there  is  hope,  yet 
there  is  no  safety  in  putting  off  our  conversion 
a  single  day.  It  is  said  of  the  man  swept  down 
the  Niagara  River,  that  before  his  little  skiff  tilts 
over  into  the  whirling  rapids,  he  may,  by  one 
bound,  reach  the  shore  and  be  saved.     This,  how- 


130  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONSc 

ever,  is  a  fearful  risk  to  run.  For  a  moment's 
miscalculation  and  skiff  and  voyager  alike  are 
buried  in  the  seething  trough  below,  and  they 
come  up  torn  to  pieces  far  down  on  the  turbulent 
foam.  "  One,''  as  an  old  divine  has  said,  "  was 
saved  at  the  last  moment  upon  the  cross,  that 
none  might  despair ;  and  only  one  that  none 
might  presumed  "Now  is  the  accepted  time; 
now   is   the   day   of  salvation." 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE   CONVERSION   OF    A   PRIME    MINISTER— 
THE  ETHIOPIAN  EUNUCH. 


Acts  viii.  26-39:  "And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  spake  unto 
Philip  saying,  Arise,  and  go  toward  the  south,"  etc. 


THE  remaining  persons,  whose  conversions 
are  to  be  considered  in  this  volume,  ditler 
in  important  particulars  from  those  whose 
conversions  have  already  been  under  considera- 
tion. Their  surroundings  in  youth,  their  early 
instruction,  and  their  social  positions  were  unlike 
those  of  Zaccheus,  the  blind  beggar,  or  the  De- 
moniac of  Gadara.  It  is  not  necessary  to  add 
that  there  was  but  little  resemblance  between 
their  conversion  and  that  of  the  women  whose 
lives  we  have  endeavored  to  depict. 

The  majority  of  the  persons  whose  conver- 
sion has  already  been  considered  were  humble, 
uneducated,  and  of  but  little  influence  in  the 
community.  The  seeming  exception  was  Zac- 
cheus, but  that  was  only  a  little  more  than  a 
131 


182  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

seeming  exception.  For  be  was  probably  a  man 
of  bumble  origin  and  of  limited  earl}'  advantages, 
but  bad  acquired  some  influence  tbrougb  bis 
wealtb.  His  calling  kept  bim  from  places  of 
importance  in  tbe  government,  as  well  as  from 
bigb  social  positions  in  tbe  community.  Con- 
sequently tbe  conversions  wbicb  bave  been  con- 
sidered were  largely  tbose  of  tbe  poor. 

Tbe  conversions  wbicb  are  to  occupy  our 
attention  to  tbe  end  of  tbis  course  are  tbose  of 
men  of  tbe  bigbest  cbaracter  socially,  politically 
and  intellectually.  Tbe  Eunucb  in  tbe  text  was 
an  Etbiopian  nobleman  of  bigb  rank  and  influ- 
ence. Cornelius  was  a  member  of  one  of  tbe  most 
distinguisbed  families  of  Rome,  and  Saul  of  Tar- 
sus, a  Pbarisee  of  tbe  rarest  intellectual  powers. 

Attention  bas  been  called  to  a  number  of  tbe 
difbculties  wbicb  bad  to  be  overcome  by  tbe 
poor  in  tbeir  eff"orts  to  find  tbe  Saviour.  At 
times  tbey  seemed  almost  insurmountable.  In 
tbe  remaining  discourses  your  attention  will  be 
called  to  tbe  difficulties  to  be  overcome  by  tbe 
ricb.  In  tbese  days  of  mission  cburcbes  and  zeal 
for  tbe  poor,  tbere  is  some  danger  of  overlooking 
tbe  ricb,  and  of  neglecting  tbeir  spiritual  needs. 
Tbe  destitution  of  tbe  poor  is  brougbt  before  us 
in  a  tbousand  forms,  but  tbat  of  tbe  ricb  is 
seldom  dwelt  upon.  Even  tbose  wbo  regularly 
attend  tbe  bouse  of  God,  are  not  often  appealed 
to  in  tbe  same  burning  terms  as  tbe  poor.  Tbeir 
difficulties  are  overlooked  and  sometimes  set  aside 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  133 

unappreciated.  In  the  second  half  of  the  last 
century,  Mr.  Courtonne,  a  celebrated  pastor  of 
Amsterdam,  visited  the  Hague  and  the  court 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange.  He  was  surrounded  by 
the  officers  of  the  Stadtholder  who  pressed  him 
to  preach  for  them  on  the  Sabbath.  He  refused, 
saying  that  the  Prince  and  his  nobility  would  be 
offended  at  his  plain,  uncompromising  way  of 
presenting  the  truth.  They  promised  that  the 
household  of  the  Prince  would  be  at  church, 
and  that  no  one  would  be  offended  at  what 
he  might  present.  Upon  this  assurance,  he 
consented  to  preach.  When  the  Sabbath  came, 
the  church  was  crowded  with  the  nobilitj^  and 
members  of  Parliament.  The  preacher  took  for 
his  text  the  w^ords  at  the  head  of  this  chapter. 
The  theme  was  the  conversion  of  the  Ethiopian 
statesman,  and  the  divisions  of  the  discourse  were 
the  following:  namelj^,  first,  "A  courtier  who  read 
the  Scriptures,  which  is  surprising;  second,  a 
courtier  who  acknowledged  his  ignorance,  which 
is  more  surprising  ;  third,  a  courtier  who  asked 
his  inferior  to  instruct  him,  which  should  cause 
the  redoubling  of  our  surprise;  and  lastly,  a 
courtier  who  was  converted,  wdiich  caps  the 
climax  of  wonders."  The  state  of  things  in  our 
own  day  is  not  quite  so  bad,  perhaps,  and  3'et 
it  is  still  true  that  not  many  mighty  are  called. 
A  few  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the 
Eunuch's  conversion  are  given  by  Luke  in  the 
Acts   of  the   Apostles.     He    was    an    Ethiopian 


134  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

nobleman  of  high  rank — perhaps  of  the  highest — 
for  none  but  such  were  generally  appointed  cham- 
berlains of  monarchs,  or  lords  of  the  treasury. 
It  is  not  possible  to  tell  with  certaint}^  what  was 
this  man's  nationality.  The  champions  of  the 
colored  race  persistently  hold  that  he  was  a  full- 
blooded  negro.  They  claim  that  they  have  traced 
his  pedigree  from  some  of  the  old  Ethiopian  fami- 
lies which  had  carried  the  marks  of  that  race  from 
time  immemorial.  We  are  not  prepared  to  deny 
positively  that  the  Lord  Chamberlain  of  Queen 
Candace  was  a  colored  man.  For  we  know  that 
not  a  few  of  the  highest  officers  of  Mexico  and 
Brazil  to-day  belong  to  that  race. 

It  must  be  confessed,  however,  that  there  are 
important  circumstances  connected  with  the 
incident  before  us,  which  suggest  that  the  Eunuch 
was  a  Jew  and  not  a  negro.  It  is  affirmed  by  a 
trustworthy  historian  that  a  large  number  of 
Jews  had  settled  at  an  early  day  in  and  around 
the  capital  of  Queen  Candace.  It  is  farther 
stated  that  the  prime  minister  in  the  text  went 
up  to  Jerusalem  to  attend  the  yearly  feasts  of 
the  Jews.  Hence,  we  may  reasonably  infer  that 
he  was  a  Jew,  born  perhaps  in  Ethiopia.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  the  first  barrier  to  his  con- 
version remains  the  same,  viz.,  a  strong  religious 
prejudice.  If  he  was  an  Ethiopian  he  would  have 
adhered  to  the  gods  of  his  fathers  and  despised 
the  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel.  If,  on  the 
other    hand,    he    was    a    Jew,    he    would    have 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  135 

shown   the    hatred  of  that    race   toward   the    de- 
spised Galilean. 

The  second  difficulty  was  his  position  in  the 
government.  He  held  the  most  important  office 
under  the  sovereign.  lie  was  the  Lord  Cham- 
berlain, or,  as  we  would  call  him,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  And,  as  the  sovereign  was  a 
woman,  it  is  quite  likely  that  he  was  virtually  the 
ruler.  He  exercised  great  power  over  a  nation 
both  large  and  influential.  He  might  have  ex- 
cused himself  on  this  account  for  not  attending  to 
his  soul's  interest.  Or,  he  might  have  looked 
down  upon  religion,  regarding  it  only  as  an 
object  fitted  to  cheer  the  poor  and  occupy  the 
minds  of  women  and  children.  Many  in  his 
position  have  resorted  to  such  subterfuges.  The 
temptations  of  the  rich  and  influential  are  often 
stronger  than  most  men  who  are  not  similarly 
situated  suppose. 

Then,  his  association  was  such  as  to  drive  away 
all  thoughts  of  religion.  He  had  to  live  night 
and  day  in  the  midst  of  gaiety  and  fashion.  As 
the  highest  officer  of  the  realm,  it  devolved  upon 
him  to  entertain  distinguished  foreign  guests, 
and  treat  with  courtesy  and  kindness  the  home 
princes;  to  respect  national  prejudices  and  pro- 
tect, if  not  worship,  the  gods  of  the  land.  He 
was  expected  to  be  all  things  to  all  men.  Such 
duties  are  not  adapted  to  lead  men  to  think  of 
their  soul's  salvation.  The  exercise  of  power 
does  not  usually  foster  humility. 


136  NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

Though  this  man  was  in  possession  of  almost 
limitless  power  and  fame,  3'et  he  was  not  happy. 
Though  he  had  abundance  of  wealth  so  that  he 
could  say  with  the  man  in  the  gospel :  "  Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  3'ears  ;  take 
thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,"  yet  he  was 
not  above  and  beyond  anxiety.  In  some  way,  not 
revealed  to  us,  he  had  discovered  that  he  was  a 
sinner,  but  he  had  not  found  how  he  could 
obtain  pardon.  His  conscience  had  told  him  of 
guilt,  but  no  one  had  pointed  out  to  him  the 
world's  Redeemer.  He  left  Jerusalem  under  a 
load  of  grief,  deeply  sighing :  "  0  wretched  man 
that  I  am."  He  was  spoken  of  perhaps  as  one  of 
the  successful  ones  of  the  earth  and,  on  that 
account,  was  supposed  to  be  always  happ3^ 
But  the  Spirit  of  God  had  begun  his  work  of 
reproving  him  of  sin  and  of  righteousness  and 
of  judgment,  and  consequently  all  his  riches 
and  honors  failed  to  satisfy  his  longings.  His 
soul  thirsted  for  God,  for  the  living  God.  He 
drank  of  the  world's  pleasures,  but  he  discovered 
that  whoso  drinketh  of  that  water  thirsteth  asain. 
His  soul  sought  goodly  pearls  ;  but  the  pearls  of 
the  world,  valuable  and  bright  as  they  had  for- 
merly seemed  to  him  were  now  of  no  value  in  his 
e^^es.  He  was  made  to  desire  the  good  part  that 
should  not  be  taken  from  him. 

Should  it  be  asked  what  were  the  means  used 
to  bring  the  Ethiopian  to  this  state  of  mind,  the 
only  answer  that  can  be  given  is  that  we  are  not 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  137 

told.  We  know  that  God  has  many  ways  and 
messengers  for  this  purpose.  He  may  have 
used,  in  the  Eunuch's  case,  disappointments  in 
the  things  which  he  longed  and  labored  for.  Ilis 
worldly  ambition  may  have  been  gratified,  and 
his  brightest  hopes  realized.  All  that  his  imagina- 
tion had  pictured  as  a  desirable  good  may  have 
been  gained.  But  he  did  not  find  any  of  them 
satisfying  to  the  soul.  He  may  have  frequently 
soliloquized,  "  This  will  make  me  happy,  fill  my 
soul  with  perennial  sunshine,  give  me  peace  and 
tranquillity  !  But,  alas  1  it  leaves  me  as  empty  as 
I  was  before."  Or,  perhaps,  some  great  aflliction, 
bitter  grief,  or  sore  disappointment— the  treach- 
ery of  a  friend,  or  the  ingratitude  of  a  dependent 
—may  have  led  him  to  reflect.  Or,  some  captive 
may  have  told  him  of  a  rest  which  he  might  find 
for  his  soul  in  the  land  of  Israel. 

The  second  step  taken  to  satisfy  the  longings 
of  his  soul  was  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  Having 
heard  that  there  was  a  place  in  which  God 
revealed  himself  to  his  people,  he  could  not  rest 
till  he  had  visited  it.  This  occurred  the  very  year 
in  which  Christ  was  crucified.  He  had  possibly 
heard  of  him  from  priests  and  rulers.  He  may 
have  been  a  visitor  in  the  Sanhedrin  when  Christ's 
character  and  deeds  were  discussed.  He  may 
have  witnessed  the  trial  before  Pilate,  mingled 
with  the  multitude  that  followed  Jesus  along  the 
Via  Dolorosa  to  the  summit  of  Calvary  and  seen 
him  hanging  upon  the  cross.     He  may  have  heard 


138  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

of  his  miracles  and  been  present  at  the  preaching 
of  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  He  may  have 
tried  everything  and  gone  everywhere  for  rest,  but 
failed  to  find  it.  The  priests  may  have  exhorted 
him  to  be  thankful  for  his  blessings  and  to 
abandon  his  melancholy  forebodings.  They  may 
have  called  his  attention  to  his  prosperity;  to 
the  gifts  and  graces  he  possessed  ;  to  the  spheres 
of  usefulness  he  had  filled  ;  and  to  the  honors 
which  had  been  heaped  upon  him.  All  this  only 
made  him  cry:  "Conscience!  religion!"  They 
may  have  replied  :  "  Are  you  not  conscientiously 
religious?  Who  can  charge  you  with  injustice  or 
unkindness?"  He  continued,  ''Death!  the 
future !  "  The}^  may  have  asked  :  "  Can  you  not 
accept  the  teaching  of  the  law  and  the  prophets 
regarding  them  ?  "  He  heard  nothing  from  these 
ministers  of  religion  but  commendations  of  his 
merits,  flattery  and  fulsome  eulogies.  But  they 
failed  to  satisfy  him.  They  proved  sheer  mock- 
eries. In  despair  he  cried,  "  I  must  have  truth, 
not  opinions  ;  sunlight,  not  the  fitful  phosphores- 
cence of  the  imagination  ;  solid  instruction,  not 
foolish  flattery ;  a  living  one,  even  a  Father  who 
can  forgive,  love  and  guide,  not  cold  abstraction 
which,  after  all,  refers  me  to  myself  as  my  helper 
and  saviour."  He  did  not  find  in  the  Jewish 
religion  what  he  came  for  and  diligently  sought! 
Notice,  next,  the  means  which  brought  this 
anxious  statesman  to  Christ  and  salvation.  He 
was  returning  to   Ethiopia  with  his  wounds  un- 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  139 

healed,  though  probed  to  the  bottom;  with  his 
fears  unallayed,  though  painfully  quickened; 
with  his  anxiety  unremoved,  though  greatly 
deepened.  Look  at  him  I  Within  were  found 
uncertaint}',  terror,  anguish ;  at  the  same  time, 
humility,  longing  for  God,  and  prayerfulness.  In 
his  hands  was  the  word  of  God,  opened  at  the 
fift^'-third  chapter  of  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah.  He 
was  searching  in  it  after  the  water  of  life  as 
eagerl}'  as  he  would  have  searched  near  a  group 
of  palm  trees  after  a  cooling  spring.  An  instinct, 
stimulated  by  what  he  had  seen  and  heard  at 
Jerusalem,  told  him  that  somewhere  near  this 
spot  the  water  of  life  would  be  found.  He  was 
reading  the  words  :  "  He  bore  our  sins."  What  ? 
my  sins  ?  "  He  was  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaugh- 
ter." Here  he  paused  1  He  could  not  go  further. 
Great  tears  gathered  in  the  dark  eye  of  the  dis- 
tinguished courtier  and  dropped  on  the  pages 
of  the  book  in  his  hands.  "  Led  as  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter !  "  This  recalled  to  him  the  Man  of  Sor- 
rows whom  he  saw  nailed  to  the  cross.  He  dwelt 
alternately  on  the  verse  just  read  and  the  strange 
scenes  he  had  lately  witnessed.  His  heart  was 
throbbing  and  his  eyes  swimming  with  tears. 
Of  whom  then  speaketh  the  prophet  ?  Of  him- 
self, or  of  some  other  man?  Does  not  the  word 
point  directly  to  the  other  man  who  had  just  died 
on  the  accursed  tree?  Those  looks  and  tones 
were  more  like   heaven  than   earth.     "  When   he 

Wlien   the 


140  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS, 

dying  thief  at  his  side  exclaimed  :  "  Lord,  remem- 
ber me,"  he  answered,  "  To-day  shalt  thou  be 
with  me  in  paradise."  That  other  man !  "  Of 
whom  speaketh  the  prophet  thus  ?  " 
v/  So  animated  grew  the  reader,  and  so  loud  be- 
y  came  the  tones  of  his  voice,  that  Philip,  who  was 
near,  heard  the  interrogatories.  He  was  anxious 
to  help  him,  but  was  deterred  by  his  official 
dignity.  At  that  moment  "  the  Spirit  said  unto 
Philip,  Go  near,  and  join  thyself  to  this  chariot." 
Mark  the  coincidence!  The  Spirit,  who  had  led 
the  mind  of  the  Eunuch  to  the  firt3-third  chapter 
of  Isaiah,  brought  from  Samaria  an  inspired  ex- 
pounder of  the  m3^sterious  passage  !  Upon  this 
simple  act  depended  untold  interests!  "God's 
ways  are  in  the  sea,  and  his  paths  in  the  great 
waters."  "If  his  purposes  in  creation,"  says  Dr. 
Arnot,  "  require  the  meeting  of  two  circling 
worlds  at  some  period  in  the  evolution  of  time, 
he  will  so  arrange  that  the  two  shall  approach 
and  touch  each  other  at  the  verj^  point  of  space 
and  time  which  he  has  designed."  The  same 
might  and  wisdom  have  been  at  work  to 
arrange  a  meeting  wherever  and  whenever  one 
earthen  vessel  charged  bears  Christ,  and  another 
earthen  vessel  empty  receives  Christ  at  a  broth- 
er's hand.  The  Spirit  not  onl}'  brought  the  two 
men  together,  but  he  enabled  the  evangelist  to 
jj  speak  a  word  in  season,  and  gave  the  Eunuch  a 
./  hearing  ear  and  an  understanding  heart.  Here 
we  behold  the  humility,  meekness  and  docile  spirit 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  141 

of  Llie  great  man :  "  How  can  I  understand  unless 
some  one  guide  me?''  How  ignorant  often  are 
even  the  most  cultivated  men,  of  the  things  per- 
taining to  the  salvation  of  their  souls  I 

Finding  the  distinguished  statesman  ready  to 
listen  to  his  exposition,  Philip  preached  unto  him 
the  gospel.  The  sermon  is  not  given.  The  most 
meagre  outline  only  is  preserved.  "  Then  Philip 
opened  his  mouth,  and  began  at  the  same  scrip- 
ture." It  was  the  same  Scripture  as  that  which 
the  Eunuch  was  reading,  namely,  the  fift3'-third 
cha})ter  of  Isaiah.  A  more  remarkable  passage 
of  Scripture  cannot  be  found.  The  evangelist 
could  not  preach  anything  from  it  save  Christ 
and  him  crucified.  He  held  up  to  the  unknown 
traveler  the  one  whom  he  saw  on  the  cross  as 
the  Saviour  of  the  world.  The  doctrine  of  the 
cross  was  pressed  upon  his  attention  and  con- 
science with  simple  but  telling  power.  It  was 
not  only  Jesus,  but  Jesus  as  the  Saviour  of  the 
high  and  the  low  alike.  It  was  Jesus  then  and 
there. 

Notice,  lastl}',  the  effect  of  the  preaching, 
upon  the  mind,  heart  and  life  of  the  Ethiopian 
statesman.  It  was  threefold,  viz. :  To  believe  in 
Christ,  to  confess  him  before  the  world,  and 
to  go  his  way  rejoicing.  As  he  listened  to 
the  telling  truths  contained  in  the  fifty-third 
chapter  of  Isaiah,  a  new  light  and  a  new  hope 
sprang  up  in  his  heart.  He  became  convinced 
that   the    Messiah  was  the  person  whom  he  saw 


142  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

hanging  on  the  tree.  He  accepted  the  declaration 
tliat  he  was  the  Christ.  He  cast  himself  as  a 
helpless  sinner  on  his  mercy.  He  embraced  the 
Son   of    God    in   all   his   fulness    as    the   Lord's 

-^anointed.  He  made  a  complete  surrender  of  him- 
self to  him  and  declared  that  all  he  was  and  all 

^he  had  were  Christ's  1 

^  He  not  only  believed  in  Christ,  but  he  yielded 
to  the  promptings  of  the  Spirit  in  the  heart.  He 
did  not  wait  until  Philip  urged  upon  him  the 
necessity  of  being  baptized  :  "  See,  here  is  water; 
what  doth  hinder  me  to  be  baptized  ?  I  wish  to 
be  a  thorough  convert.  I  am  saved  by  grace  and 
am  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  to  show  my 
appreciation  of  the  blessing."  His  baptism  was, 
therefore,  a  manifestation  of  his  faith  and  a  proof 
of  his  obedience  and  submission  to  the  will  of 
God.  He  was  not  ashamed  to  own,  by  this  sim- 
ple, visible   act,   his   allegiance   to   the   crucified 

1/  Nazarene,  and  his  belief  in  his  divinitj^ 

Having  committed  his  all  to  Christ  and  been 
baptized  in  his  name,  "He  went  on  his  way 
rejoicing."  This  did  not  diminish  the  leagues  of 
desert  to  be  traversed  before  he  would  reach  his 
home ;  it  did  not  temper  for  him  the  rays  of  the 
tropical  sun  falling  upon  his  head ;  it  did  not 
excuse  him  from  further  duty  ;  but  it  did  cast  a 
new  light  on  the  desert  he  was  crossing  ;  it  did 
assure  him  that  the  sun  would  not  smite  him  by 
day  ;  and  it  did  furnish  him  with  new  motives 
for   the   performance   of  future  duties. 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  143 

If  the  relii2;ion  of  Christ  were  calculated  to  make 
aii}^  one  sad  and  morose,  it  would  have  so  made 
the  great  courtier  of  Queen  Candace.  He  knew 
that  it  required  him  to  give  up  many  of  his  indul- 
gences, much  of  his  gaiety  and  perhaps  the  entire 
mode  of  his  life.  But,  instead  of  making  him  sad, 
it  caused  him  to  rejoice.  This  is  in  harmony  with 
the  character  of  our  religion.  It  should  always 
be  judged  by  what  it  brings  and  by  what  it 
takes  away.  It  brings  to  us  a  sense  of  accept- 
ance with  God,  and  consequent  rest  of  the  soul; 
it  brings  to  us  a  life  which  is  both  bright  and  joy- 
ful. It  takes  away  from  us  the  fear  of  death, 
the  strifes  within  us,  the  fierce  conflict  which 
rages  between  our  conscience  and  our  inclinations, 
between  our  will  and  our  passions,  which  tears 
the  heart  asunder  and  makes  sorrow  and  tumult 
wherever  it  comes.  It  takes  awa}^  the  sense  of 
sin.  It  gives  us,  instead  of  the  torpid  or  the 
stinging  conscience — a  conscience  calm  and  free 
from  accusations,  with  the  sting  extracted.  The 
gospel  works  joy,  because  the  soul  is  at  rest  in 
God  ;  joy  because  every  function  of  our  spiritual 
nature  finds  in  it  its  object.  It  is  both  deep  and 
abiding. 

All  this  was  experienced  by  the  Ethiopian,  for 
he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  He  expected  that 
afflictions,  trials  and  temptations  still  awaited 
him  in  the  idolatrous  capital  of  Queen  Candace, 
and  in  her  God-estranged  court,  but  he  knew,  on 
the  other  hand,  that    Christ   had  died   for   him, 


144  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

that  faith  was  the  victory  which  overcometh  the 
world,  that  God  was  a  sun  and  a  shield,  and  that 
he  would  give  grace  and  glory. 

What  hinders  you,  dear  reader,  to  become  a 
follower  of  Christ  ?  There  can  be  nothing  on 
his  part !  For  he  has  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost.  He  calls  you  ;  his  offers  of 
pardon  and  peace  are  full  and  free,  kind  and 
urgent,  tender  and  loving  ;  his  work  is  finished 
and  his  redemption  is  complete.  What  doth 
hinder  you  ?  Is  it  your  sin  ?  Christ  died  for  the 
ungodly ;  he  calls  sinners  to  repentance.  Is  it 
your  past  ingratitude  and  open  rejection  of  his 
mercy  ?  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  be  white  as  snow.  Is  it  your  want  of  re- 
pentance ?  Christ  is  exalted  a  Prince  and  a 
Saviour  to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins. 
What  doth  hinder  you  then  ? 

"  Let  not  conscience  make  you  linger, 
Nor  of  fitness  fondly  dream  ; 
All  the  fitness  he  requireth 
Is  to  feel  your  need  of  him." 


Chapter   x. 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    A    MAN    OF    THE 
HIGHEST    SOCIAL    STANDING- 
CORNELIUS. 


Acts  X.  1-48  :  "  There  was  a  certain  man  in  Ctesarea,  called 
Cornelius,  a  centurion  of  the  baud  called  the  Italian  band," 
etc. 

IN  view  of  the  brevity  of  Scripture  on  the 
subject,  it  is  surprising  to  find  a  whole 
chapter  devoted  to  the  conversion  of  one 
man.  The  steps  taken  are  given  with  a  minute- 
ness of  detail  that  seems  almost  unaccountable. 
Is  this  due  to  the  fact  that  the  person  converted 
was  an  officer  of  note  under  the  Roman  govern- 
ment ?  Has  it  been  done  in  order  to  magnify  the 
power  of  the  Christian  religion  to  reach  the  heart 
of  the  mighty  as  well  as  of  the  weak  ?  That  can- 
not be.  For  it  is  explicitly  said  in  the  same  chap- 
ter that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  He  does 
not  fail  into  the  weakness  common  among  men  of 
making  a  display  of  the  conversion  of  any  one 
because  he  exerts  a  mighty  influence  in  the  world. 
145 


146  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

There  is  probably  close  connection  between  the 
Saviour's  great  conDmand,  "  Go  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,"  and  the 
conversion  of  the  centurion.  Christ  had  come 
not  only  to  be  the  glory  of  his  people  Israel, 
but  to  be  also  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles.  He 
came,  it  is  true,  to  hold  the  sceptre  in  Judah,  but 
it  is  equally  true  that  to  him  must  also  the  gather- 
ing of  the  nations  be.  The  Gentiles  were  to  be 
fellow-heirs  and  of  the  same  body  by  the  gospel. 
The  conversion  of  Cornelius,  therefore,  marks  the 
beginning  of  this  promise.  The  way  the  door 
was  opened  for  their  entrance,  or  the  steps  were 
taken  toward  demolishing  the  middle  wall  of  par- 
tition between  them  are  carefully  given.  Corne- 
lius formed  the  joint  where  the  Gentile  branch 
was  grafted  into  the  true  vine. 

This  Roman  soldier  has  often  been  compared 
to  the  father  of  the  faithful.  It  is  held  that  what 
Abraham  was  to  the  Jews,  Cornelius  was  to  the 
Gentiles.  He  was  the  first  Gentile  publicly  ad- 
mitted by  the  apostle  into  the  Christian  Church. 
With  him  began  a  new  era  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
on  earth,  and  from  him  may  be  dated  "  the 
times  of  the  Gentiles."  Cornelius  was  not  merely 
the  representative  and  the  earnest  of  a  great 
multitude  which  no  man  can  number,  who,  be- 
sides God's  ancient  people,  are  to  be  gathered 
out  of  all  nations  and  kindreds  and  peoples  and 
tongues,  but  his  conversion  and  the  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit  upon   him  and  all  who,   with    him, 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  147 

heard  the  word  j^reached  by  Peter,  were  the 
events  which  formed  a  turiiing-i:oint  in  the  views 
and  efforts  of  the  apostles.  It  was  the  dawn  of  a 
day  of  light  and  jo\'  for  the  Gentile  world.  As 
God  chose,  called  and  separated  Abraham  to  be 
the  father  of  the  Heb^e\^'s  according  to  the  flesh, 
so  was  Cornelius  chosen  to  be  the  beginning  of 
the  Gentile  Church, and  hence,  probably,  the  space 
devoted  and  the  importance  attached  to  the  con- 
version of  this  distinguished  Gentile. 

The  person  thus  chosen  to  be  the  first  fruits  of 
the  Gentiles  was  one  of  the  most  attractive  and 
lovely  in  the  world's  history.  In  his  noble  char- 
acter he  blended  those  elements  which  every- 
wiiere  command  respect  and  love.  He  was  not 
onl}'  a  captain  of  the  Italian  band,  which  im- 
plies that  he  was  a  Roman,  but  he  had  inherited 
the  frank,  open  and  manl}?^  traits  of  that  nation. 
Whilst  he  could  not  cringe  and  fawn  to  the  high- 
est of  the  high,  he  could  not,  on  the  other  hand, 
be  discourteous  to  the  lowest  of  the  low. 

He  was  not  only  a  Roman,  but  probably  a 
member  of  the  patrician  branch  of  the  Cornelian 
family,  the  most  distinguished  in  the  empire. 
By  virtue  of  his  social  standing,  he  mingled  in 
the  best  society  in  Rome,  enjo3'ed  the  highest 
culture  of  his  times,  and  the  greatest  joolitical 
advantages  of  the  age.  He  was  sent  with  a  por- 
tion of  a  Roman  legion  as  the  bodv  guard  of  the 
governor  of  Syria,  who  had  his  home  in  the  old 
city  of  Ctcsarea. 


148  NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

Whilst  stationed  there  he  became  convinced 
that  the  gods  of  the  nations  were  dumb  idols 
which  could  impart  neither  light  nor  peace  to 
the  soul ;  consequently  he  turned  to  the  God 
of  the  Jews  and  adopted  his  worship.  He 
studied  the  Scriptures,  witnessed  the  devotions  of 
the  people  of  Palestine  and  admired  their  conduct. 
Though  his  knowledge  of  these  things  was  de- 
fective, his  privileges  meagre,  and  his  opportuni- 
ties limited,  yet  he  made  the  best  use  of  what  he 
possessed. 

Through  long  residence  in  Caesarea  and  by 
mingling  extensivel}^  with  the  Jews,  he  became 
"a  devout  man,  one  that  feared  God  with  all  his 
house,  who  gave  much  alms  to  the  people,  and 
prayed  to  God  always."  There  is,  probably,  no 
church  in  our  day  which  would  not  be  willing  to 
receive  into  her  communion  a  man  of  his  social 
and  official  standing,  his  devotional  spirit  and 
benevolent  disposition.  Two  views  have  been 
entertained  regarding  the  spiritual  condition  of 
Cornelius — one  makes  him  a  proselyte  of  the 
Jewish  Church,  and  a  truly  pious  man  ;  the  other 
makes  him  like  the  young  man  in  the  gospel, 
almost  a  Christian.  It  is  alleged,  in  favor  of  the 
former,  that  "  fearing  God  "  is  a  term  often  ap- 
plied to  proselytes  of  the  gates ;  that  Cornelius 
offered  up  his  prayers  at  the  usual  hours  among 
the  Jews ;  that  he  had  read  the  Old  Testament ; 
that  he  had  paid  the  tithes  required  by  the  Jewish 
law,  and   that  he  had   conferred  upon  the  Jews 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  U9 

mail}'  valuable  gifts.  In  support  of  the  second 
view,  it  is  said  that  "  fearing  God  "  is  a  term  fre- 
quently applied  in  Scripture  to  persons  studious 
of  piet}'  and  filled  with  reverence ;  that  Peter 
calls  him  a  person  of  another  race,  with  whom  it 
was  not  lawful  for  a  Jew  to  associate,  while 
there  was  nothing  in  the  law  to  prohibit  associa- 
ting with  prosel3'tes ;  that  the  news  of  his  conver- 
sion and  the  opposition  made  to  Peter  on  account 
of  it  shows  he  could  not  be  a  proselyte,  and  that 
he  is  expressly  classed  among  the  Gentiles  b}-  the 
apostle  James.  For  these  reasons  it  is  difficult  to 
conclude  that  Cornelius  was  a  Jewish  proselyte. 

On  the  theorj^  that  he  was  a  Gentile,  he  appears 
to  have  received  much  light  and  knowledge  from 
the  Jews.  He  was  convinced  that  theirs  was  the 
true  God ;  hence  he  worshiped  him  essentially 
after  the  manner  of  the  Jews,  and  showed  by  his 
alms  and  charitable  deeds  his  obligation  to  him  as 
the  bestower  of  every  good  and  every  perfect  gift. 
With  all  this,  he  lacked  one  thing.  To  fear  and 
reverence  God,  to  try  to  obey  his  commandments, 
to  be  kind  and  helpful  to  our  fellow-men,  to  medi- 
tate on  divine  truth  and  to  lift  up  our  hearts  to 
heaven  in  prayer,  are  goodly  pearls,  but  they  do 
not  constitute  the  pearl  of  great  price,  whose  pos- 
session is  satisfying  to  the  soul.  All  these  make 
a  sweet  and  beautiful  character,  but  not  neces- 
sarily the  character  of  a  true  Christian.  Seeking 
God  is  not  the  Saviour ;  the  Saviour  is  no  act  of 
ours,  no  frame  of  mind,  no  virtuous  exertion;  he 


150  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

is  a  living  person,  who  gives  himself,  that  the 
soul  may  find  spiritual  rest.  Cornelius  had  many 
good  traits,  but  he  lacked  the  one  thing  needful. 
A  man  may  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of 
angels;  have  the  gift  of  prophecj^and  understand 
all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge ;  bestow  all  his 
goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  give  his  bod}^  to  be 
burned,  and  yet,  for  the  lack  of  one  thing,  be  as 
sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal — of  no 
value  in  the  sight  of  God.  We  should  pray  to  be 
delivered  from  the  shallow  advice,  that  a  man 
should  be  satisfied  with  praying  and  doing  his 
best!  As  if  prayers  were  not  means  to  an  end, 
as  if  the  one  who  reall}^  prays  does  not  look  for 
the  answer,  clearly  and  unmistakably  God's  an- 
swer, to  whom  he  has  cried.  The  man  who  is  sat- 
isfied with  praying  and  giving,  has  never  prayed 
aright,  and  has  never  given  from  true  love  to  God. 
From  all  this  we  learn  that  irreproachable 
morality  and  religious  rounds  of  duty  cannot 
save  the  soul.  The  question,  what  would  have 
become  of  Cornelius  if  he  had  died  before  the 
apostle's  visit  to  him,  is  an  idle  one.  God  takes 
care  of  all  such  contingencies ;  but  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  inference  is  not  a  groundless 
one  when  we  remember  Cornelius'  own  account  of 
the  angel's  bidding.  "  Send  men  to  Joppa,  and 
call  for  Simon  whose  surname  is  Peter,  who,  when 
he  Cometh,  shall  speak  unto  thee."  It  may  be 
essential  to  some  of  3"0u,  whose  characters,  as  far 
as   they  are   outwardly  seen,  secure   for  3'ou   no 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  151 

small  degree  of  afTectioiifite  interest  and  esteem — 
characters  honorable,  moral,  amiable,  reverential 
— I  say  it  may  be  essential  that  you  too  should 
meditate  on  the  words,  "  Thou  art  not  far  from 
the  kingdom  of  God,"  not  far  from  it,  yet  not  in 
it.  One  thing  your  religion  lacks,  and  may  not 
that  thing  be  a  simple,  believing  faith  in  Christ  as 
your  Saviour?  Ponder,  I  pray  you,  the  Evan- 
gelist's testimony,  so  like  that  of  the  Baptist: 
"He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life;  and  he  that 
hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life."  Beware 
of  a  religion  in  which  Christ  does  not  occup}-  his 
proper  place,  as  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the 
first  and  the  last,  the  all  and  in  all  I 

Notice,  secondly,  some  of  the  hindrances  in  the 
way  of  Cornelius's  acceptance  of  the  one  thing 
needful.  The  first  one  in  his  way  to  become 
a  Christian  was  doul)tless  his  pride  of  blood. 
Could  a  member  of  the  Cornelian  band  ever 
become  identified  with  Jews?  Could  a  proud 
aristocratic  officer  of  the  Roman  army  worship 
with  tlie  most  despised  of  the  subdued  provinces 
of  Rome .''  Could  he  bear  the  taunts  of  liis  rivals 
and  even  those  of  his  own  fomily,  and  run  the 
risk  of  being  dismissed  from  the  Roman  service? 
His  proud,  unyielding  spirit  rebelled  against  all 
this.  How  much  less  could  he  become  the  fol- 
lower of  a  despised  Galilean  whom  his  govern- 
ment had  recently  put  to  death  in  the  Jewish 
capital  I 

There  was  in  Cornelius's  way  not  only  pride  of 


152  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

blood,  but  perplexity  as  to  Christ's  character. 
All  the  religion  possessed  by  him  he  had  received 
from  the  Jews  and  the  Jewish  Scriptures;  and 
now,  those  very  Jews,  with  their  ecclesiastical 
authorities  at  their  head,  had  put  Christ  to  death 
as  an  impostor,  and  laid  Christianity  under  inter- 
dict and  anathema.  Cornelius  had  heard  of 
Christ,  his  wonderful  life  and  his  tragic  death. 
He  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  believe  in 
regard  to  him,  and  what  dependence  to  place  in 
his  claims  to  be  the  Messiah. 

His  profession  also  proved  a  hindrance  to  his 
becoming  a  follower  of  Christ.  There  was  an 
impression  in  those  days  that  a  soldier  could  not 
be  a  Christian.  His  duties  were  thought  to  con- 
flict with  the  principles  inculcated  by  Christ  and 
his  apostles.  This  impression  has  existed  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  ever  since.  One  illustra- 
tion will  suffice.  During  some  of  the  unhappy 
troubles  in  Ireland,  an  officer  in  the  army  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  was  observed  to  be  daily  absent  for  a 
time  from  his  quarters  and  the  company  of  his 
comrades.  This  led  to  the  suspicion  that  he  was 
holding  intercourse  wnth  the  rebels,  and  to  his 
trial  by  a  court-martial,  which  resulted  in  finding 
him  guilty  of  treason  and  in  condemning  him  to 
be  shot.  On  hearing  this,  the  Marquis  resolved 
to  read  the  minutes  of  the  trial,  and,  finding  in 
them  a  number  of  unsatisfactory  and  unaccount- 
able things,  he  sent  for  the  tried  and  condemned 
man,  to  learn  his  explanation.     Upon  being  inter- 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  153 

rogaled,  he  solemnly  disavowed  every  treason- 
able practice  or  intention,  declared  his  sincere 
attachment  to  his  sovereign,  and  his  readiness  to 
live  or  die  in  his  service  ;  he  affirmed  that  the 
cause  of  his  freqnent  absences  was  his  withdrawal 
to  a  place  of  retirement  for  the  purpose  of  private 
pra3'er,  for  which  his  lordship  knew  he  had  no 
opportunity  among  his  profane  fellow-officers. 
lie  averred  that  he  had  made  this  defense  on  his 
trial,  but  that  the  judges  declared  piety  among 
military  officers  an  impossibility.  In  order  to 
satisf^^  himself  in  regard  to  the  truth  of  his  de- 
fense, the  Marquis  observed  that,  if  so,  he  must 
have  acquired  considerable  aptness  in  this  exer- 
cise. The  convicted  man  replied  that  in  that 
direction  he  had  nothing  to  boast  of.  The  Mar- 
quis then  insisted  on  his  kneeling  down  and  pray- 
ing aloud  before  him  ;  which  he  did,  and  poured 
forth  his  soul  before  God,  with  such  copiousness, 
fluency  and  ardor,  that  the  Marquis  took  him  by 
the  hand,  and  said  he  was  satisfied  that  no  man 
could  pra}-^  in  that  manner  who  did  not  live  in  the 
habit  of  intercourse  with  God.  He  not  only 
revoked  the  sentence,  but  received  him  into  his 
special  favor,  placing  him  on  his  stafl'  and  in  the 
line  of  promotion.  Thus,  the  centurion,  in  s[)ite 
of  the  difficulties  arising  from  blood,  mental  i)er- 
plexities  and  profession,  was  led  to  the  feet  of 
Jesus. 

In   some   of    its   aspects,   his    conversion  was 
almost  miraculous.     First,  he  received  a  commu- 


15i  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

nication  through  the  instrumentality  of  angels. 
Perhaps  it  required  a  divine  interposition  to  pre- 
pare the  Gentile  world  for  the  reception  of  the 
saving  truths  of  the  gospel.  At  any  rate,  Corne- 
lius was  visited  by  an  angel.  "  He  saw  in  a  Adsion 
clearl}^,  about  the  ninth  hour  of  the  da}^,  an  angel 
of  God."  He  approached  him  in  human  form: 
''A  man  stood  before  me  in  bright  clothing." 
From  this  we  see  that  celestial  intelligences  ap- 
peared in  New  Testament  times.  Painters  and 
poets  give  us  angels  with  wings,  but  in  none  of 
the  records  of  the  visits  of  angels  to  our  world 
do  we  find  them  thus  endowed.  The  appearance 
of  this  celestial  messenger  struck  fear  into  the 
heart  of  Cornelius :  "  He  was  afraid,  and  said, 
What  is  it,  Lord?"  It  is  probable  that  the  best 
way  into  the  heart  of  a  brave  soldier  is  through 
his  fear. 

The  angel  brought  words  of  encouragement  to 
the  trembling  sinner.  He  said  unto  him,  "  Thy 
prayers  and  thine  alms  are  come  up  for  a  memo- 
rial before  God."  His  good  character,  his  devout 
spirit  and  his  supplications  were  recognized  in 
heaven.  He  had  acted  according  to  the  light 
he  had  enjoyed,  and  consequently  God  was  ready 
to  give  him  more.  Every  breath  of  sincere  praj-er 
and  every  generous  act  of  the  soul  went  up  as 
sweet  incense  from  the  altar  of  the  heart.  I 
incline  to  the  belief,  or  perhaps  the  conjecture,  of 
Mede,  that  very  possibly  Cornelius  had  been 
laying  his  perplexities  before  the  Lord  in  prayer, 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  155 

and  asking  divine  ouidance  as  to  wliat  lie  should 
believe  and  do,  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

The  angel  gave  direction  to  "  send  men  to 
Joppa,  and  call  for  one  Simon,  whose  surname  is 
Peter:  he  shall  tell  thee  what  thou  oughtest  to 
do."  Why  not  tell  it  thyself,  thou  blessed  mes- 
senger of  Jehovah  ?  Thou  knowest,  p.s  well  as 
Peter,  what  the  centurion  is  required  to  do  I  The 
gospel  is  to  be  preached  by  men,  not  b}^  angels. 
God  in  his  love  and  compassion  has  ordained 
that  men  saved  from  sin,  death  and  hell,  and 
animated  b}^  the  constraining  love  of  Christ, 
should  be  his  ambassadors,  and  declare  with  all 
authority  and  certainty,  and  yet  with  tender  sym- 
pathy and  pity,  the  salvation  which  is  in  Christ. 
The  messenger  of  peace  on  this  occasion  was 
Simon  Peter.  At  this  Cornelius  may  have  been 
surprised.  The  teacher  was  not  a  Pharisee  nor 
a  scribe,  not  one  of  the  priests  nor  of  the  Levites 
— but  one  Simon  whose  surname  is  Peter.  He 
was  to  send,  not  to  Jerusalem,  not  to  the  tem- 
ple, not  to  the  synagogue,  not  to  Gamaliel,  nor 
to  one  of  his  disciples — but  to  Joppa,  a  small 
town  on  the  seacoast,  and  to  a  lodger  at  the 
house  of  Simon  the  tanner.  What  marvelous  cir- 
cumstantiality I  What  poet  would  have  dared  to 
put  these  minute  local  directions  into  the  mouth 
of  an  angel?  And  why  not?  Because  poets,  as 
one  has  well  said, ''  do  not  dare  to  be  as  poetical 
as  God's  ways  and  God's  truths  are  in  reality. 
For  it  is  the  highest  poetry,  and,  blessed  be  God, 


156  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

the  truest  fact,  that  God  knows  and  sees  and 
remembers  all ;  that  the  house  where  Mary 
dwells  and  Martha  and  Lazarus — the  homes  of 
all  his  people,  however  poor  and  obscure  they 
may  be,  are  well  known  to  him." 

Men  still  receive  visions  and  dream  dreams 
which  arrest  them  in  the  way  of  sin.  You  may 
have  read  the  account  of  the  conversion  of 
Colonel  Gardner.  He  was  one  of  the  boldest 
sinners  of  his  day.  Whilst  spending  an  evening 
of  folly  with  some  of  his  gay  companions,  he 
accidentall}^  discovered  a  tract  which  his  pious 
mother  had  put  in  his  portmanteau,  called 
"Christian  Soldier,  or  Heaven  Taken  by  Storm." 
Before  retiring  that  night  he  read  the  tract, 
hoping  to  extract  some  amusement  from  it. 
But,  before  he  laid  it  aside,  he  fell  asleep,  or 
rather  into  a  reverie,  and  saw  a  vision  like  that 
of  Cornelius,  not  of  angels,  but  of  Christ  him- 
self hanging  in  midair  on  the  cross,  looking 
directly  at  him,  and  saying  with  his  last  breath : 
"  0  !  sinner,  did  I  suffer  thus  for  thee,  and  are 
these  the  returns  ?  "  This  led  him  to  study  the 
Scriptures  and  consult  those  who  could  direct 
him  in  the  way  of  life.  He  was  not  saved  by 
the  vision,  but  the  vision  led  him  to  the  truth 
which  made  him  free. 

Notice,  next,  the  preaching  of  Peter  to  the 
centurion  and  his  family :  "  Peter  opened  his 
mouth  and  said,  Of  a  truth  I  perceive  that  God  is 
no  respecter  of  persons  :  but  in  ever^^  nation  he 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  157 

that  fearc'tli  him,  and  workcth  righteousness,  is 
accepted  with  him."  Three  important  truths  are 
taught  us  in  this  address  :  First,  the  universalit}^ 
of  the  phin  of  salvation.  It  is  not  confined  to 
any  special  people  or  ])articular  family,  or  to  a 
given  condition  or  calling.  It  is  for  all.  God 
is  no  respecter  of  persons.  No  matter  whether 
one  is  rich  or  poor,  high  or  low,  learned  or 
unlearned,  he  is  invited  to  secure  the  salvation 
of  his  soul.  The  merits  of  the  atonement  are 
sufticient  for  all ;  the  force  of  moral  motive  is 
adapted  to  all,  and  the  agency  of  the  Spirit  is 
available  to  all. 

The  second  truth  is  that  the  only  character  ac- 
ceptable to  God  is  that  which  w^orketh  righteous- 
ness. It  is  that  which  leads  to  a  right  conduct  in 
relation  to  man,  God,  and  the  universe.  Man  is 
not  accepted  because  of  his  Judaism  or  Gentilism, 
not  because  of  his  birth,  his  country  or  his  par- 
ticular form  of  worship,  but  because  of  his  moral 
rectitude. 

Here  is  further  taught  us  the  mediatorship  of 
Christ:  "Preaching  peace  by  Jesus  Christ." 
What  the  apostle  says  of  Christ's  mission  is  in 
substance  the  same  as  that  which  he  proclaims  in 
his  discourse  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  He  shows 
that  his  mission  was  divine  in  its  origin,  redemp- 
tive in  its  purpose  and  universal  in  its  applica- 
tion. 

The  third  fact  taught  us  in  the  conversion  of 
Cornelius    is    the    effusion   of    the    II(jIij    Ghost. 


loy  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

This  was  just  as  necessary  to  the  conversion  of 
the  Gentiles  as  to  that  of  the  Jews.  The  divine 
Spirit,  in  its  regenerating  and  redemptive  influ- 
ences, must  ever  follow  the  blood.  The  gospel 
is  the  channel  through  which  this  hol}^  influence 
flows  into  the  soul.  The  gospel  is  the  chariot  on 
which  the  divine  Conqueror  marches  forth  to  sub- 
due his  enemies  and  to  take  possession  of  the 
land  promised  him  of  the  Father.  The  Spirit,  in 
connection  with  the  word  preached  by  Peter, 
effected  the  conversion  of  Cornelius. 

Thus  b}^  varied  means  God  opened  the  heart 
of  the  Gentile  soldier,  and  the  great  folding-doors 
of  the  Church  which  form  an  entrance  into  the 
outside  world.  There  is  significance  in  the 
absence  here  of  pomp  and  striking  circumstances. 
It  shows  that  in  the  higher  and  richer  dispensa- 
tion of  the  gospel,  the  revelations  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  are  given  with  less  of  outward  display,  but 
with  more  of  inward  power;  that  his  influence,  in 
proportion  as  it  is  spiritual,  resembles  the  dew 
and  seldom  exceeds  the  measure  of  the  small 
rain  on  the  mown  grass.  The  Lord  is  less  in  the 
hurricane,  the  earthquake  and  the  flame  than  in 
the  still  small  voice.  As  in  the  material  world 
the  mightiest  agencies  are  the  least  seen  and 
heard,  so  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  He  writes 
his  laws  in  our  hearts  with  a  silent  pen,  whose 
inscription  is  never  efl^aced.  His  government 
is  a  government  of  persuasive  love,  but  love  is 
neither  loud  nor  demonstrative. 


NEW  TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  159 

The  outwiird  maiiifesttitions  of  Cornelius's  con- 
version are  very  much  the  same  as  those  wit- 
nessed since  his  da3^  Though  a  member  of  tlie 
proud  and  aristocratic  Cornelian  farail}',  though 
«,  Roman  by  birth  and  education,  and  though  a 
military  officer  of  high  rank  under  the  governor 
of  S^ria,  he  did  not  shrink  from  the  publicity 
connected  with  acknowledging  the  lowly  Jesus  as 
his  Lord  and  Master.  He  and  all  his  house  were 
baptized.  Thus,  he  not  onl}^  declared  to  Jews 
and  Gentiles  his  covenant  relations  with  the 
world's  Redeemer,  but  brought  his  loved  ones 
also  into  the  same  blessed  relations.  Encouraging 
thought!  Grace  not  only  flows  down  like  water, 
so  that  from  the  head  of  the  house  it  reaches  the 
youngest,  "  but  it  also,  by  a  cognate  law,"  says 
Dr.  Arnot,  "  rises  np  like  vapor,  so  that  it  may 
find  its  way  from  a  godly  child  to  a  worldly 
father.  Parents  should  bring  their  house  to  the 
Church  and  bring  the  Church  to  their  house." 

Cornelius  not  only  showed  his  willingness  to 
become  an  open  follower  of  Christ  by  being  bap- 
tized, but  he  showed  also  his  readiness  to  be 
thoroughly  identified  with  his  humble  followers. 
He  urged  Peter  to  stay  at  his  house  that  he 
might  learn  of  him  his  duty  and  talk  with  him 
over  the  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  I 
He  desired  Christian  fellowship  and  the  pra^^ers 
of  a  good  man.  Happ}-  house !  Above  it  heaven 
was  open,  from  it  prayers  ascended,  and  into  it 
angels  came  from  heaven. 


160  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

We  learn  once  more  from  this  incident  that  the 
river  of  life  does  not  branch  out  into  divers 
streams.  It  is  the  same  to  Jews  and  Gentiles. 
"  There  is  not  a  broad  sweep  of  water,"  sa3^s 
some  one,  "  for  the  rich,  the  intellectual  and  the 
cultivated,  and  a  little  scanty  rill  where  the  poor 
now  and  then  come  and  get  healed  by  the  side 
of  its  precarious  wave.  There  is  no  costly  sana- 
tarium  beneath  whose  shade  patrician  leprosy 
may  get  by  itself  to  be  ftishionably  sprinkled. 
Naaman,  with  all  his  retinue  watching,  must 
come  and  dip  and  plunge  like  common  men  in  tlie 
Jordan.  The  haughty  son  of  the  Cornelian 
family  must  be  saved  like  the  blind  beggar  at  .^he 
gates  of  Jericho." 


Chapter  xi. 


THE   CONVERSION  OF   A  GREAT  GENIUS- 
SAUL  OF  TARSUS. 


Acts  ix.  1-9:  "And  Saul,  j'et  breathing  out  threatenings 
and  slaughter,"  etc. 

EXCEPT  Christ's  advent  and  the  descent  of 
the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  there  is 
no  event  in  the  world's  history  of  greater 
importance  to  the  race,  or  of  richer  blessings  to 
the  Church,  than  the  conversion  of  Saul  of 
Tarsus.  It  was  the  .starting  point  of  man^^  of 
the  mightiest  forces  which  have  been  used  of 
Providence  to  mould  the  Church  and  the  world. 
Whether  we  consider  the  heart,  the  head,  or  the 
outward  conduct  of  this  Cilician  Jew,  we  are 
compelled  to  regard  him  as  one  of  the  most 
remarkable   men  of  the  ages. 

The  rare  qualities  of  Saul's  heart  are  often 
overshadowed  by  his  peerless  intellect.  Amongst 
the  former  may  be  mentioned  his  deep  humility 
and  unaffected  devotion  to  God's  cause.  He 
was  unyielding  when  he  believed  that  truth  and 
principle  were  involved ;  he  was  gentle  and 
IGl 


162  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

tender,  wbeiiever  he  bad  to  deal  with  believers 
who  were  weak  in  the  faith ;  he  was  self-denying 
and  patient  when  be  was  persecuted  for  Christ's 
sake  ;  he  was  affectionate  as  a  mother,  toward  bis 
son  Timoth}' ;  his  heart  was  ready  to  he  sacrificed 
for  Israel,  his  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh,  and 
his  sympathies  were  world-wide  in  their  scope. 

None  but  those  who  have  carefully  studied  his 
epistles  can  form  an  adequate  conception  of  his 
Intellectual  powers.  Luther  discovered  in  bis 
writings  a  treasure  which  filled  his  soul  with 
peace  and  joy.  On  their  radiant  pages,  earnest, 
struggling  souls  still  find  such  accurate  descrip- 
tions of  their  inmost  feelings  and  thoughts,  such 
lucid  solutions  of  their  diflficulties,  such  clear 
demonstrations  of  saving  truths  as  are  found  no- 
where else  in  ancient  or  modern  epistolary  writ- 
ings. His  counsels  of  wisdom,  gentleness,  self- 
denial,  meekness  and  patience  direct  to-day  our 
households,  govern  our  churches,  and  guide  our 
missionary  enterprises.  Even  his  enemies  confess 
that  bis  epistles  are  both  weighty  and  profound. 

Paul's  life  and  labors  wi]l  not  be  fully  known 
until  their  rich  fruits  are  gathered  at  the  last 
day.  In  general  terms  it  may  be  said,  that 
mainly  through  him  the  Gentiles  heard  the  gos- 
pel and  the  Church  of  Christ  was  founded  among 
them,  that  idolatry  vanished  and  the  pure  light 
of  revealed  truth  shone  upon  the  dark  and  be- 
nighted nations  of  the  earth.  In  Ephesus,  in 
Corinth,  in  Athens,  in  Philippi,  in  Thessalonica 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  163 

niid  in  Galatia,  as  well  as  along  the  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean,  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome — every- 
where  may  be  found  imperishable  monuments  to 
his  untiring  zeal  and  apostleship. 

The  elements  entering  into  the  structure  of  this 
uniqne  character  are  rare  and    numerous.     Even 
the  setting  must  be  carefully  considered  before 
we  can  discover  its  full  splendor.     The   time   of 
bis   birth  was  marked  by  the  greatest  events   of 
secular    history.     It    was    during    the    reign    of 
Augustus,   which    was    the    most    illustrious    in 
Koman  history.     When  Saul  began  to  inhale  the 
pure  air  of  the  Taurus  mountains  and  to  lave  in 
the    crystal  waters  of  the    Cydnus,  there   was  a 
noted  youth  rambling  over  the  hills  of  Hebron, 
preparing   himself  by  meditation  and    prayer  to 
become  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness ; 
and   another  more  distinguished  still,  seen  pla}-- 
ing  around  Nazareth  and    the    slopes  of    Tabor. 
And  on  the  banks  of  Gennesaret  could  be  found 
also  three  or  four  ruddy  fishermen  mending  their 
nets,  who  were  destined  of  Providence  to  become 
the  inspired  apostles  of  the  coming  dispensation. 
Neither  the  parents,  nor  the  youths  themselves, 
with  one  exception,  knew   aught  of  the  sublime 
relations  which  they  were  to  hold  to  each  other  in 
coming  years : 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform  ; 
He  plauts  his  footsteps  ou  the  sea, 
He  rides  upon  the  storm.'' 


161:  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

Notice,  first,  some  of  the  important  agents  in 
the  formation  of  Saul's  character.  The  first  was 
the  example  and  training  of  his  parents.  They 
were  both  Jews,  as  he  has  repeatedly  informed 
us.  He  alleges  that  he  was  a  Hebrew  of  the 
Hebrews,  or  a  Jew  from  both  parents.  Though 
residents,  and  perhaps  natives  of  Tarsus,  yet  his 
father  and  mother  were  bigoted  members  of  the 
Jewish  Church.  They  belonged  to  the  sect  called 
the  Pharisees.  And  from  the  words,  "  he  served 
God  from  his  forefathers^'''  we  infer  that  his  an- 
cestors for  generations  had  been  strict  Pharisees, 
serving  the  God  of  Israel  in  the  synagogue  at  the 
Gentile  city  of  Tarsus. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  no  mention  is  made 
by  Paul  of  his  mother.  Most  of  the  distinguished 
men  of  earth  have  owed  a  large  debt  of  gratitude 
to  their  mothers,  and  they  have  usually  taken 
pleasure  in  acknowledging  it.  Are  we  to  con- 
clude that  Paul  is  an  exception  to  this  rule? 
It  is  difficult  to  do  so.  Some  commentators 
have  explained  the  omission  by  saying  that  the 
mother  had  probably  died  before  the  son  was 
old  enough  to  remember  her.  If  that  had  been 
the  case  it  would  have  been  doubtless  mentioned 
somewhere  in  his  epistles.  But  a  better  explana- 
tion is,  that  his  mother,  though  a  true  woman, 
was  the  most  bigoted  of  the  Pharisees,  that  she 
had  trained  her  son  to  hate  all  other  sects,  and  to 
be  unswerving  in  his  adherence  to  the  interests 
of  her  own  relisrion,  and  when  he  was  converted 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIOXS.  165 

on  the  way  to  Damascus,  and  made  one  of  the 
followers  of  Jesus,  she  blotted  his  name  out  of  the 
fomily  record  and  banished  him  as  far  as  possible 
from  her  memory.  This  conduct  is  not  without 
a' parallel.  Many  a  Jewish  mothe-r  since  then  has 
done  likewise.  May  we  not  conclude,  therefore, 
that  Paul,  as  a  dutiful  son,  has  intentionally 
thrown  the  cloak,  not  merely  of  charity  but  ot 
silence  also,  over  that  devoted  but  bigoted 
parent.  "Who  can  tell,"  says  Dr.  McDuff,  "but 
ere  he  became  Paul,  the  Aged,  he  was  allowed 
to  sit  by  the  dying  pillow  of  that  mother  and 
point  her  sinking  soul  to  the  same  Jesus  who 
met  him  on  his  way  to  Damascus  ! " 

By  such  parents  Saul  was  doubtless  taught  to 
believe  in  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  to  be  a  stern 
advocate  of  the  law's  authority,  and  to  be  the 
supporter  of  a  regularly  constituted  government ; 
to  oppose  every  outbreak  of  irregularities  and 
passion  ;  to  live  a  strictly  moral  life,  to  be  un- 
yielding in  his  opinions  regarding  his  religion 
and  to  use  all  means  in  his  power  to  propagate 
its  truths  ;  to  be  intolerant  of  the  opinions  of 
others,  even  to  persecution,  in  order  to  carry  out 
the  principles  of  his  sect.  Such  was  clearly  the 
early  training  of  Saul  of  Tarsus. 

In  addition  to  this,  he  enjoyed  all  the  advan- 
tages of  the  Jewish  school  in  his  native  city.  It 
is  not  likely  that  he  was  ever  sent  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Tarsus,  because  there  his  mind  would  be 
in  danger  of  being  contaminated  by  heathen  and 


166  NEW   TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

corrupt  teachings.  The  Jews  who  lived  among 
the  Gentiles,  and  who  suffered  many  things  on 
account  of  their  nationality,  became  intensely 
Jewish  in  their  views  and  feelings.  The  home 
training  and  the  teaching  of  their  schools  tended 
to  produce  this  result.  When  Saul  was  old 
enough  to  be  in  danger  of  having  his  views 
liberalized  and  his  morals  corrupted  by  contact 
with  Greeks  and  Sja-ians,  he  was  sent  to  Jerusa- 
lem, where  he  would  enjoy  the  instruction  of  the 
greatest  rabbi  of  the  nation. 

There  the  teaching  was  of  the  same  general 
character  as  that  which  he  had  enjoyed  at  home 
and  in  the  school  at  Tarsus.  Though  Gamaliel 
was  a  man  of  candor  and  coolness  of  judgment, 
as  is  clear  from  his  advice  to  the  Sanhedrin,  yet 
he  was  a  Jew  to  the  very  core.  He  was  a 
teacher  of  the  law.  He  would  sacrifice  everything 
to  maintain  authority  in  the  Church  and  in  the 
State.  We  can  readil}^  trace  his  influence  on  the 
whole  of  Saul's  public  life — alike  as  a  Jewish 
persecutor  and  a  defender  of  the  faith  which 
he  at  first  labored  to  destro3^  We  can  see  how 
he  would  be  likely  to  sympathize  with  persecu- 
tors;  how  confidence  could  be  reposed  in  him  in 
that  regard ;  how  he  would  abstain  from  acts  of 
open  violence  and  lawlessness,  and  yet  how, 
under  the  sanction  of  law,  he  might  become — as 
he  did — one  of  the  most  violent  enemies  of  the 
Christian  Churcli. 

We  have  now  before  us  the  j^oung  Cilician  Jew 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS.  167 

as  the  open  enemy  of  Christianity.  He  hated  it 
v/ith  perfect  hatred.  We  read  that  he  persecuted 
its  adherents  unto  death,  binding  and  delivering 
into  prison  both  men  and  women.  The  martyr- 
dom of  Stephen  had  intensified  his  hatred. 
"  Like  the  taste  of  blood  to  a  wild  beast,"  says 
one  commentator,  '•  it  heightened  his  ferocity  and 
quickened  his  powers  to  make  havoc  of  the 
Church.  The  very  breath  of  liis  soul  was  ma- 
lignity toward  the  disciples  of  the  new  religion. 
]t  was  like  the  heat  of  a  furnace  threatening  to 
scorch  and  burn  ever^'thing  on  which  it  fell. 
His  whole  nature  and  education  gave  momentum 
to  his  work  of  destruction  "  His  was  a  mighty 
intellect,  and  we  know  that  intellect  rules  to  a 
great  extent  the  feelings  of  love  and  hatred.  In 
men  of  weak  minds  the  emotions  are  usually 
feeble  as  compared  with  those  of  men  endowed 
with  strong  powers  of  mind.  As  Saul  was  great 
in  intellect  his  hatred  of  the  Church  was  intense. 
It  was  literally  fanned  into  a  flame.  He  was  also 
a  man  of  tremendous  impulses.  lie  was  not  one 
of  tlie  cold,  phlegmatic  and  unirapassioned  ones, 
the  fires  of  whose  natures  are  too  weak  to  flame. 
He  was  the  very  opposite.  Feeling  in  him  was  a 
sea  of  fire,  and  its  great  tides  throbbed  through 
every  artery  in  his  body.  He  did  nothing  with- 
out feeling.  Feeling  gave  force  to  ever}^  purpose, 
a  flash  to  every  look,  emphasis  to  every  word, 
and  a  resoluteness  to  every  act.  The  love  of 
such   a   nature   was   worth    much — worth   every- 


168  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

thing ;  the  hatred  of  the  same  was  such  as  might 
well  make  men  tremble. 

He  was,  moreover,  a  man  of  great  conscien- 
tiousness. Wherever  conscience  gives  her  sanc- 
tion to  men's  feelings  their  strength  reaches  its 
highest  point.  Whatever  feeling,  thought  or 
effort  conscience  sanctions,  it  intensifies.  Saul's 
conscience  not  only  sanctioned,  but  enforced  his 
enmity  toward  Christ.  He  considered  that  he 
"  was  doing  God  service,"  and  regarded  it  as  a 
sacred  obligation  to  blot,  if  he  could,  the  name  of 
Jesus  from  the  earth  ! 

The  enmity  of  Saul  did  not  live  merely  in 
feeling,  however  strong,  nor  did  it  expend  itself 
in  anathemas,  however  terrible.  It  took  a  practi- 
cal shape  of  the  most  determined  sort.  It  is 
said  that  he  made  havoc  of  the  Church,  that  he 
shut  in  prison  many  saints,  and  that  he  did  all  he 
could  to  make  them  blaspheme  the  name  of 
Jesus.  It  is  stated  further  that  he  invaded  the 
sanctuaries  of  domestic  life — entering  into  every 
house — and  ruthlessly  tearing  away  those  whom 
he  committed  to  prison. 

Before  he  went  after  the  poor  fugitives  who 
had  sought  an  asylum  in  Damascus,  he  showed 
the  effect  of  the  legal  training  he  had  enjoyed 
in  Tarsus  and  Jerusalem.  He  secured  from  the 
high  priest  letters  legalizing  his  efforts  in  the 
interest,  as  he  regarded  it,  of  the  religion  of 
his  fathers.  And,  as  soon  as  he  had  received 
them,  he  started  to  wreak  his  vengeance  on  young 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  1G9 

and  old,  male  and  female.  Witboat  delay  he 
went  with  men  of  like  views  and  purposes  to 
Damascus  in  order  to  persecute  all  who  believed 
in  the  Christian  religion. 

Without  attempting  to  describe  the  journey,  or 
to  set  forth  the  probable  thoughts  which  passed 
through  his  mind,  as  he  caught  the  first  glimpse 
of  Damascus,  resting  like  an  island  of  paradise, 
in  the  green  enclosure  of  its  beautiful  gardens,  we 
shall  simply  undertake  to  portray  his  conversion. 
It  was  one  of  the  miraculous  sort  which  unregen- 
erate  men  generally  look  for.  As  he  came  in 
sight  of  the  w^alls  of  that  ancient  city,  suddenly, 
at  midday^  there  appeared  a  light  in  the  firma- 
ment, a  dazzling  brightness,  above  that  of  the 
sun.  It  was  not  a  flash  of  lightning,  but  a  con- 
tinued glare  composed  of  ra3's  that  darted  from 
the  body  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  who 
condescended  to  appear  personally  to  the  heart- 
less persecutor  of  the  Church,  when  in  sight  of 
his  victims,  sure  of  speedy  victory,  and  almost 
ready  to  send  up  his  shouts  of  triumph.  At  this, 
he  and  his  companions  in  travel,  fell  to  the 
earth,  dazzled  and  confounded.  He  la}^  speecli- 
less,  wondering  what  all  this  could  mean.  When 
he  dared  to  lift  his  eyes  toward  the  light,  lo  I 
there  shone  the  emblem  of  Grod's  presence — the 
Shekinah  which  had  dwelt  in  the  tabernacle  and 
the  temple.  But  it  was  no  mere  light — no  mere 
vision  which  was  before  him.  There  was  also  an 
august  Person.     It  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom 


170  NEW  TESTAMENT  COXVERSIOXS. 

he  was  persecuting.  We  are  not  left  in  doubt  in 
regard  to  this,  because  he  tells  us  more  than  once 
that  he  had  seen  the  Lord.  Jesus  addressed  him 
in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  in  that  same  tongue  in 
which  he  had  conversed  with  his  twelve  disciples. 
He  named  him  twice:  "Saul,  Saul,  why  perse- 
cutest  thou  me  ?  It  is  not  my  poor,  innocenc 
people  that  you  are  cruel  to,  but  to  me.  I  and 
they  are  one.  What  you  do  to  them  I  feel  as 
if  you  were  doing  it  to  me;  in  injuring  them 
you  are  injuring  ?7ie."  What  an  encouraging 
thought !  What  a  disclosure  of  the  tender 
heart  of  Jesus !  Even  Stephen's  dying  love  is 
not  to  be  compared  with  this.  "  Wh}-  persecut- 
est  thou  ???e  ?  "  If  the  smitten  one  had  dared  to 
excuse  himself,  it  would  doubtless  be  somewhat 
after  this  fashion  :  "  I  took  no  part  in  the  scenes 
of  the  garden  or  in  the  transactions  of  Calvary  I 
I  was  not  one  of  those  who  apprehended  thee 
with  swords  and  staves  !  I  gave  thee  no  traitor's 
kiss.  I  wove  for  thee  no  crown  of  twisted  thorns. 
I  plunged  no  spear  into  th}^  side.  M^^  tongue 
was  not  employed  in  mocking  thee  whilst  hang- 
ing on  the  cursed  tree."  If  the  Saviour  had  re- 
plied it  would  have  been  perhaps  in  some  such 
words  as  these  :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these  my  bretliren,  3-e  did  it 
unto  me!''  Then  would  come  the  question  from 
the  confused  lips  of  the  vanquished  foe,  "  Who 
art  thou,  Lord  ?  "  And  the  answer  would  follow 
from  the  2:lorified  One:  ''I  am  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  171 

whom  thou  persecutest  I  I  am  the  Lord  of 
glory  I  It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the 
pricks." 

What  could  the  helpless  ijersecutor  now  ex- 
pect ?  Convinced  of  his  guilt,  what  could  he 
look  for  but  sudden  destruction  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  and  from  the  glory  of  his 
power?  But  God's  thoughts  are  not  as  our 
thoughts.  He  had  designs  of  mercy  toward  him 
and  had  provided  a  work  and  a  reward  for  him 
far  beyond  his  expectation.  The  power  of  the 
Spirit  was  exerted  in  connection  with  the  heav- 
enly vision  to  change  his  heart.  It  is  not  proba- 
ble that  Saul's  companions,  though  greatly 
affrighted  like  himself,  were  converted.  God  has 
often  spoken  to  men  in  thunders  and  lightnings 
and  earthquakes,  by  voices  from  heaven  and 
visions  from  the  dead,  without  changing  their 
hearts.  Nothing  but  grace  can  do  that.  The 
heart  of  Saul  was  subdued  and  changed,  for  he, 
trembling  and  astonished,  exclaimed,  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? " 

Notice,  secondly,  some  of  the  effects  of  this 
revelation  upon  the  mind  of  Saul.  They  were 
twofold.  First,  it  brought  him  into  conscious 
contact  with  Christ.  "Who  art  thou,  Lord?" 
As  yet  he  knew  not  who  it  was  that  had  appeared 
and  spoken  to  him.  The  M'ord  "  Lord  "  may 
mean  nothing  more  in  this  connection  than  "  Sir." 
As  3'et  he  was  in  the  dark  as  to  the  one  who  was 
dealing  with  him.     lie  knew  not  who  came  in  the 


172  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS. 

splendor,  or  who  spoke  in  the  electric  flash.  His 
ignorance,  however,  was  quickly  removed.  He 
heard  a  voice  saying,  "  I  am  Jesus  whom  thou 
persecutest."  This  answer  filled  the  soul  of  the 
persecutor  with  the  thought  that  he  was  in  imme- 
diate contact  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  He  saw 
him  first  with  the  eyes  of  his  mind  and  never 
forgot  the  sight.  He  took  delight  in  referring 
to  this  again  and  again  in  after-life. 

He  was  not  only  brought  into  contact  with  the 
person  of  Christ,  but  into  a  complete  submission 
to  his  will.  He  said,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do  ?  "  His  own  will  was  at  last  overcome. 
The  will  of  the  Sanhedrin  was  no  longer  of 
importance  to  him,  the  will  of  Christ  was  all. 
The  revolution  was  thorough  and  the  submission 
complete.  From  this  time  forth  the  glory  of 
Christ  filled  his  vision,  the  name  of  Christ 
charmed  his  ears,  the  interests  of  Christ's  king- 
dom called  into  exercise  all  the  powers  of  his 
soul  and  bod^^  From  the  day  of  his  conversion 
he  lived  and  labored,  suffered  and  died  for  his 
Saviour.  By  hira  he  tested  the  value  of  all 
things,  and  all  that  failed  to  bear  that  test  was 
by  him  rejected.  Whatever  task  he  undertook, 
whatever  plan  he  laid  out,  whatever  plea  he 
urged,  whatever  end  he  set  before  his  eyes,  but 
one  question  was  asked  regarding  it,  namely, 
"  How  will  it  stand  in  relation  to  Christ  ? " 

What  a  change  I  How  thorough,  how  wonder- 
ful, how  soon  effected!     What  a  world  was  that 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  173 

"uliich  burst  on  Saul's  vision  when  bis  eyes  were 
shut  to  the  beauties  of  the  plains  of  the  Abana 
and  Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus  I  How  every- 
thing he  had  valued  paled  before  that !  What 
nonentities  seemed  all  the  world's  power  and 
greatness,  its  grandeur  and  magnificence  I  How 
the  unseen  and  eternal  unveiled  to  his  soul  the 
fictitious  value  set  on  all  things  seen  and  tem- 
poral!  How  clearly  he  discovered,  to  his  great 
dismay,  that  he  had  been  walking  in  a  vain  show ! 

This  is  Saul's  second  birth,  and  yet  it  is  infi- 
nitely more  exalted  than  that  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cydnus — more  exalted  because  in  the  former  he 
was  born  but  to  die,  whereas  in  the  latter  he  was 
born  a  son  of  the  Highest,  to  live  forever.  Bet- 
ter !  because  the  march  of  the  feet  which  climbed 
the  slopes  of  the  Taurus,  was  along  a  rough  path 
between  the  cradle  and  the  coffin ;  whereas  the 
way  of  grace,  with  its  toils  and  trials,  shipwrecks 
and  forty  stripes  save  one,  its  bitter  persecutions 
and  long  imprisonments,  was  from  regeneration 
onward  and  upward  to  a  crown  of  glory  in 
heaven.  Happy  for  you,  dear  reader,  if  3-ou  are 
heaven-born  and  heaven-bound  I  It  may  be  that 
like  Paul's,  a  stormy  life  is  before  3-ou  ;  but  let 
storms  rage  and  tempests  roar — however  rude  the 
gale  or  high  the  billows — a  heaven-born  passen- 
ger in  a  heaven-bound  bark,  you  cannot  fail  to 
enter  the  haven  of  eternal  rest. 

Notice,  lastly,  some  of  the  immediate  results  of 
Saul's   conversion.     The    first  mentioned    is  that 


174  NEW   TESTAMENT   CONVERSIONS. 

he  prayed.  There  is  deep  significance  in  this 
dechxration.  He  was  a  Pharisee,  given  to  long 
prayers  on  the  corners  of  the  streets.  These 
were  regarded  by  him  after  his  conversion 
as  of  no  account.  lie  drew  his  first  spiritual 
breath  amid  the  aromatic  shrubs  in  the  plains  of 
Damascus. 

"  Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 
The  Christian's  native  air." 

The  second  result  was  willingness  to  mingle 
with  the  persecuted  people  he  had  so  heartily 
despised.  He  went  to  the  house  of  an  humble 
deacon,  or  even  a  private  member  of  the  church, 
to  receive  instruction  as  to  his  future  course  in 
the  world.  What!  the  proud  disciple  of  Gama- 
liel sitting  at  the  feet  of  Ananias  !  The  most 
brilliant  member  of  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin  taking 
counsel  of  an  humble  man  whom  that  august  body 
had  condemned  !  The  terror  of  the  followers  of 
Christ  is  now  moving  like  a  lamb  among  those 
who  trembled  at  the  sound  of  his  name  !  What 
wonder  of  divine  grace !  To  see  the  pride  of 
birth,  loftiness  of  intellect,  brilliancy  of  genius 
and  unimpeachable  morality  laid  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  of  a  despised  Galilean,  and  to  witness 
the  Jewish  rabbis,  the  senators  of  the  nation  and 
the  learned  of  the  land  set  aside  for  the  fellow- 
ship of  fishermen,  humble  peasants  and  ignorant 
craftsmen  is  no  ordinary  sight.  This  is  the 
Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes  1 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVERSIONS.  175 

The  third  result  is  the  giving  up  of  the  bright- 
est worldly  prospects  for  a  promised  inheritance 
beyond  the  gjiiu.-^.  "  Saul  of  Tarsus,"  says  some 
one,  ''  gave  up  hopes  and  prospects  as  brilliant  as 
any  ever  cherished  by  an  aspiring  youth  ;  he 
subjected  himself  to  the  bitter  hatred  and  scorn 
of  his  kindred ;  he  embraced  a  religion  at  the 
time  the  most  unpopular  of  all  on  earth  ;  he  ex- 
posed himself  to  every  form  of  persecution  ;  he 
became  poor,  an  outcast  and  a  wanderer ;  he  set 
before  him  one  great  object  of  life,  if  by  any 
means  he  might  save  some  ;  he  feared  no  danger, 
was  appalled  by  no  obstacle,  asked  no  reward, 
w^as  checked  by  no  opposition  ;  he  avowed  his 
principles  everywhere — seeking  to  assert  and 
defend  them  in  places  of  intelligence,  iniluence 
and  power — where  men  were  best  qualified  to 
judge  of  truth,  and  where  a  sensitive  and  noble- 
minded  man  would  feel  it  most  keenly,  if  his 
sentiments  were  held  in  contempt,  when  con- 
fronted with  philosophy  at  Athens,  and  when 
arraigned  for  his  life  before  Nero  ;  never  waver- 
ing, never  shrinking,  never  breathing  out  one 
sigh  of  regret,  never  concealing  his  new  views; 
exulting,  triumphing,  rejoicing  to  the  end  of  life 
that  he  had  counted  all  things  but  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ." 

What  a  change  1  None  of  the  fanciful  transfor- 
mations of  Ovid  could  rival  the  matchless  w^ork 
wrought  by  Christ  upon  this  sinner's  heart.  Oh, 
what  a  difference  between  Saul  of  Tarsus  breath- 


176  NEW  TESTAMENT  CONVEKSIONS. 

ing  out  threatenings,  and  Paul  the  apostle  saying, 
*'  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered  "  !  Between  "  the 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,"  and  the  quickened 
by  divine  grace !  "  If  God  should  speak  to 
Niagara  and  bid  its  floods,  in  their  tremendous 
leap,  stand  still,"  says  Mr.  Spurgeon,  "  that  were 
a  trifling  demonstration  of  power  compared  with 
the  stay  of  the  soul  bent  on  slaughter  at  the 
gates  of  Damascus  !  If  he  should  suddenly  speak 
to  the  broad  Atlantic,  and  bid  it  be  wrapped  in 
flames,  we  should  not  then  see  such  a  manifesta- 
tion of  his  greatness  as  when  he  converted  that 
sea  of  fire  in  the  heart  of  Saul  into  a  fountain  of 
love  and  kinduesa  1  '^ 


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